


Spellbinding

by BerylRoses



Category: Loki-Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor-All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Awkward Flirting, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, POV Third Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28488561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BerylRoses/pseuds/BerylRoses
Summary: A chance encounter at the New York Public Library marked the beginning of (Y/N) and Loki's friendship, but they would soon learn that they shared more in common than their love of literature.An AU Fic set after the events of Thor: The Dark World, where Loki is serving out his sentence as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 26
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

_February 20 th, 2015_

_New York City, New York_

(Y/N)’s Friday started out like any other work day at the New York Public Library; she clocked in at exactly eight o’clock and immediately began shelving, occasionally stopping to help patrons locate books or answer any questions they may have. Her absolute favorite thing to do, however, was to recommend books, especially to children. It made her feel warm inside knowing that the books and plays she loved to read were being passed on to a younger generation. Unfortunately, not many children came in on Fridays, so she was usually stuck shelving returned books by herself in silence the entire day.

Look on the bright side, she thought as she pushed her cart to the classics section, you’re nearly done with this cart! She began shelving but was soon impeded when she realized that the top shelf of the bookcase was shelved incorrectly. With a frown, she reached up to rearrange the books but the shelf was too high; unwilling to admit defeat and ask her taller coworkers for help, she stood on her tip-toes and stretched. Instead of giving her more height, it only made her lose balance and tip over but before she could hit the floor, a pair of strong hands grabbed her elbows and righted her. She looked up at her savior and the first thing she realized was how vivid his emerald-green eyes were. She then noticed that the man was extremely handsome, right down to his sharp jawline, highlighted cheekbones and thin lips that were only inches from her own.

Suddenly feeling too warm, she quickly de-tangled herself from the man and backed up, adjusting her glasses and nervously pushing her bangs out of her eyes as she smiled at him. “Oh, um, thank you. I guess I’m a little too short to reach those shelves!”

“You’re welcome. Would you allow me to assist you?” He asked, then raised a reassuring hand when she began to decline his offer. “It’s no trouble whatsoever; we wouldn’t want you falling over again, would we?” Despite his confident tone, his pale face was flushed almost as much as hers was, and his eyes held a touch of uncertainty as he awaited her answer.

(Y/N) chuckled despite herself. “No, I guess not. You’re too kind, um…?”

“Loki. And you are?”

“I’m (Y/N).” She shook his outstretched hand and he returned his focus to pulling the books off the shelf as she subtly looked him over. He looked to be a couple of years older than her and he was very tall, dressed impeccably in black slacks and a fitted green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, but he was strangely without a coat. She usually didn’t find long hair attractive on a man, but Loki’s slicked-back, shoulder-length raven locks seemed to suit him. His formal way of speaking reminded her of a British accent, but it almost sounded…older? And something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it; maybe because his name was based on Norse mythology? “So, Loki, what brings you to the library today?”

He sighed as he continued his work, a look of concentration on his face. “My current place of residence is severely lacking in adequate literature, so I thought it well-worth a trip here to find some. You’re employed by this library?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m one of the trainee librarians. I’m in charge of shelving the books that patrons return, answer any questions they may have, and recommend books they might find interesting.” They worked in comfortable silence for several minutes; (Y/N) handed Loki books and he placed them carefully on the shelf where she told him to, both working together quite effectively. In no time, they finished their work. “Thank you so much for your help, Loki! Would you like me to recommend a book for you? I’ve been told that I have a pretty good taste in literature.” Smiling hesitantly, her eyes met his when he turned and fully faced her.

“Very well, then. What would you recommend for me?” It made her stomach flip when she noticed the eagerness lurking behind his composed exterior. He must really love literature too, she thought.

(Y/N)’s eyes scanned the shelves for a moment and she pulled out a small leather-bound book. “Well, you can never go wrong with William Shakespeare, and I think that one of his best plays is, hands-down, _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. Fair warning, some of the themes in the beginning can be considered archaic so you have to keep in mind that it was written during the sixteenth century, but other than that it’s a wonderfully well-written comedy with great characters!” She offered him the book to take, secretly hoping he would take her suggestion.

Loki looked surprised for a moment before accepting the book with a hesitant smile. “Many thanks, Lady (Y/N). How does one go about borrowing books here?”

“Oh, I can help you right over here,” (Y/N) led him to an information desk towards the front of the library. She sat behind it and began filling out the proper paperwork for a new library card. “And, ah, you don’t have to call me ‘Lady’, just (Y/N)’s fine.” She handed him his new card and scanned his book’s barcode before giving it to him.

“Where I’m from, the title is given to women of high intelligence and class, traits that you seem to possess in vast quantities based on your knowledge of literature.” He said, a sincerity in his voice matched with a shy smile that nearly took her breath away.

She felt her cheeks burn and she slowly started to smile back. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words, Loki?”

His grin widened mischievously. “Several people might’ve mentioned it to me in the past. Good day, Lady (Y/N).” With one final look, he walked out the front doors.

(Y/N) sat at her desk and tried to collect her thoughts, but all she could do was sit with a goofy smile on her face. Loki had to be the most charming and witty man she’d ever met at work. Most of the men she’d encountered during the day were only interested in showering her and the other librarians with cheesy pick-up lines and demeaning innuendos but Loki…in the fifteen minutes they’d talked, (Y/N) felt like they were the only two people in the world. Something about him was odd, though. Perhaps it was his formal way of speaking or his unusual name, but she couldn’t be too sure. Snap out of it, (Y/N), the chances of seeing him again are slim to none, she thought a little sadly. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she stood and went to resume her shelving. But when she glanced up at the shelf the two of them completed together, she couldn’t help but smile as she thought of Loki and the large impression he’d made on her in such a short period of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the following Friday, (Y/N) had given up the little hope she had that Loki would return. She had thought that she would catch one last glimpse of him as he checked his book back in, but many people preferred to drop off their finished books in the chute outside because it was more convenient. He’s definitely a difficult person to forget, she thought as her fingers flew over her keyboard. Since one of her coworkers called in sick, she was given the extra task of planning the next month’s event calendar, which included emailing several organizations to ask for their participation and ensuring there would be enough publicity. She was currently emailing S.H.I.E.L.D. and asking them if some of the Avengers would be available to speak to the children that come in for after-school programs; the children admired the heroes, and (Y/N) thought it would be a nice surprise for them to be able to meet some of them. But since she wasn’t overly fond of using computers, her task was making her day drag on sluggishly. Look on the bright side, your shift ends soon and you can finally go home, she thought, pausing her work to stretch her stiff back.

“It appears that you were correct, Lady (Y/N).”

(Y/N)’s head shot up and she grinned when she saw Loki casually leaning against her desk and holding a familiar book in his hands; this time, he was dressed nicely in a fitted black suit and a pair of sunglasses were perched on his dark hair. “And what exactly was I correct about?”

“This,” He held up the book for her to see. “ _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. I found it to be rather enjoyable, despite some of its more barbaric themes. Why on Earth would three men take it upon themselves to decide the entire fate of one woman?”

“Well, back in Shakespeare’s time, women were suppressed in many ways. They were expected to be submissive to men and only existed to become wives and mothers.” She frowned as she spoke. “It still happens to women nowadays; we’re put down for being independent like Hermia and Helena, we’re denied simple rights like equal pay and respect in the workplace, and men still think it’s perfectly normal to treat women like their property.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she recalled all the men who’d approached her while she was working and said such crude things, acting as if she should be grateful for their attention and not repulsed. But when her eyes refocused on the man before her, she chuckled lightly. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you by going on and on, it’s been a long day and you’re the first person I’ve spoken to since my shift started.”

Loki flashed her a reassuring smile. “You’re not bothering me. On the contrary, I enjoy listening to your insights; it’s refreshing to have an intellectually-stimulating conversation for a change. Believe me, being surrounded by my brother and his friends all day doesn’t yield the kind of discussions I care to partake in.”

(Y/N) cocked her head curiously as she studied the man. “I take it you’re not really close with your brother, then?”

“You could say that,” He looked down and smiled to himself. “But we…work together, he and I, as, er…civilian consultants for the government.” His eyes darted around and he began tapping his fingers on the desk, but she decided not to mention anything about his odd behavior. “Anyhow, I would like to return this book and, if I may, select another.”

She took the book from him and checked it in. “Of course, do you already have something in mind?”

“Actually, I was hoping you could recommend another book for me, since your first suggestion was such a success.”

Smiling, (Y/N) adjusted her glasses and thought for a moment. “Okay, I think I have something that you’ll like.” She got up and led Loki down several aisles of bookshelves before finding the correct one. After searching for a moment, she grinned triumphantly and pulled a thick hardcover off the shelf. “Here you go, _The Fellowship of the Ring._ It’s the first book in _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy; there’s lots of magic and exciting battles, but it also has a great hero’s journey arc involving Frodo. The first time I read it, I couldn’t put it down because it was so engrossing!” Thoughts of reading the trilogy with her aunt filled her mind and caused a familiar twinge of sadness, but she was quick to hide her emotions from the man in front of her.

Loki accepted the book with an eager expression. He reminds me of the children that visit after school, she thought with a slight smile as she watched him examine the elaborate cover art. “Many thanks, Lady (Y/N). I shall once again trust your judgement and read _The Lord of the Rings._ ”

“Wonderful, let’s get it checked out for you,” As they walked back to her desk, she noticed that he looked troubled. “Is something bothering you, Loki?”

He only shook his head. “It’s nothing, Lady (Y/N), I was merely thinking of our conversation about _A Midsummer Night’s Dream._ ” There was a moment of silence while she checked out his book. “About what you said earlier…do men treat _you_ in such a way that you described? You don’t have to answer if you don’t wish to, I’m merely curious.”

(Y/N) stopped her work and thought for a moment, wondering why he, practically a stranger to her, would ask such a personal question. The funny thing is, she thought, I feel comfortable enough with him to answer. “Unfortunately…yes. Don’t get me wrong, most of our male patrons here are very kind and respectful, but some come in with the mentality that I only exist to worship the ground they walk on. They assume that just because I’m a woman, I don’t have the intelligence to be successful as anything other than their possession. It’s awful to admit it, but I’ve become used to it over the years.” She offered him a small smile when she looked up from her folded hands. “Don’t worry, Loki, you fall under the category of ‘very kind and respectful patron’.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Loki lightly quipped, but his eyes held an intense emotion. “I would never think to treat a woman that way, and any man who believes you’re not intelligent enough to pursue your own career and live your own life should be thoroughly examined for brain injuries.”

She beamed at his sincere words and felt her heart flip in her chest. “Yep, you’re definitely a respectful one. Enjoy the book!”

Loki’s lips curled into a smile. “Thank you, I look forward to discussing it with you next Friday.” He inclined his head to her, reminding her of a bow, and shot her a flirtatious wink. “Good day, Lady (Y/N).”

“See you then, Loki.” She watched as he slipped his dark sunglasses on and left, a blush creeping into her cheeks when she caught herself staring at his rear as he walked away. Intelligent, handsome and a nice…figure, she thought with an amused smile. She felt that she should be more wary that such a man was so friendly to her, but talking to Loki was becoming effortless for her. He listened to what she had to say, a trait that she valued highly, and he engaged her in intelligent conversation, something that no man had ever bothered to do for her before. Maybe this is the start of a new friendship or maybe even something more, she thought hopefully; still smiling, she looked back down at her keyboard and resumed her tedious work with a lighter heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer for a brief scene of verbal harassment in this chapter*  
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

_Chapter Two_

_April 14 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

As Loki walked down the hall to the conference room, he thought about how he’d much rather be in his room or the library reading his new book. (Y/N) had picked _Pride and Prejudice_ for him the last time he visited the library, insisting that he’d love the witty banter between Elizabeth Bennet and Mister Darcy. She had proven to be right yet again; Loki could honestly say that Jane Austen was indeed a very clever woman and that (Y/N) had a true talent for recommending literature.

His thoughts drifted back to the first time he’d laid eyes on the trainee librarian almost two months ago. After complaining to Tony about the inadequate number of interesting books in his library, Steve had interrupted whatever insult the billionaire was about to utter and told Loki about public libraries, specifically the New York Public Library several blocks down the street from the tower. Needless to say, Loki was hesitant to visit; the super soldier was one of the only Avengers he could actually stand to be around most of the time, but he had a nasty habit of overlooking the more annoying traits of Midgardians. But in utter desperation for any interesting reading material, he finally caved and walked down the street to the library, feeling utterly ridiculous in the Midgardian clothes the others had purchased for him. However, his discomfort vanished the moment he stepped into the library; unlike the bustling street outside, the building was practically empty, and it was packed to the brim with enormous bookshelves.

In a trance, he strolled down the aisles and couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer number of books the Midgardians had written; it almost rivaled the palace library on Asgard. But when he turned down another aisle, he stopped cold in his tracks; standing mere feet away and busy placing books onto one of the shelves was a woman, and she was the fairest he’d ever laid eyes on. Her (Y/H/C) hair was streaked with faint strands of gold, and her (Y/E/C) eyes glimmered behind a pair of glasses that rested on her nose; he smiled a little when she had to push them back up after they had slid down. Her clothing was simple and modest, a pair of dark jeans and a light purple sweater with a pair of flats, but their plain-ness only served to accentuate her beautiful features.

When she placed a book on the shelf, she smiled brightly and looked up, but whatever she noticed made her frown. A look of determination came across her features and she reached for the top shelf, but it was far too high for her. Instead of giving up, she stood on her toes to give her more height, but as a result, she lost her balance and stumbled. Breaking out of his trance, Loki rushed forward and grabbed her elbows to catch her from falling. The moment her striking (Y/E/C) eyes met his, his face reddened, his heartbeat quickened and he decided that Midgardian public libraries weren’t all that bad. The woman had introduced herself as (Y/N), and after helping her finish her task of rearranging the bookshelf, he was recommended _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ and given a library card. He was quickly charmed by how enthusiastic she was about the play and he decided that a return trip to the library would be quite necessary.

And that’s how their friendship began. Every Friday, he would visit the library, discuss with her whichever novel or play he’d just read and leave with a new one. She had insights on each and every one, offering him explanations of plot or speculations of characterization, even background information on the author or the period it was set in, and he listened to her intently before adding his own views and opinions to the conversation. She was kind and intelligent for a Midgardian, and he quickly found himself looking forward to their weekly meetings. He couldn’t deny that another reason he was drawn to her was because she didn’t look at him with fear or hatred in her eyes. To her, he was simply a friend who enjoyed discussing literature with her every Friday, not the villainous Asgardian who previously tried to take over her planet. For some strange reason, she had yet to realize his true identity, which was why he had continued bend the truth and tell her that he was just a civilian consultant and not one of ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’. There was one Friday, however, when he seriously questioned whether he should tell her the truth or not…

_Loki hurried up the steps of the library, humming an Asgardian tune under his breath as he climbed. The week had been a long and trying one; Director Fury had announced that they were planning on infiltrating several Hydra databases, Thor had broken nearly all the kitchen appliances with Mjolnir out of frustration after attempting to cook and on top of everything, Loki was forced to go on a mission with Tony, the most infuriating Midgardian he’d ever met. So, to say that he was excited to see his new friend was an understatement; he missed seeing her wonderful (Y/E/C) eyes sparkle as they looked at him, her bright smile as she spoke so passionately about literature, her infectious laughter whenever he told her a joke…though he would never admit it out loud, he was slowly beginning to develop a soft spot for the kind trainee librarian. And although he worried about how she would react to learning his true identity, he believed deep down that she was different from other Midgardians but the only way to be sure of her reaction was to go ahead and tell her about himself. He entered the library, his mind already made up, and headed towards the bookshelves to look for her when he noticed she wasn’t sitting at her desk. As he was leaving the biography section, two voices made him stop in his tracks._

_“Aw, c’mon sweetie, just one date!”_

_“I already told you, sir, no thank you.”_

_Loki peeked around the bookcase and saw (Y/N), her back to him as she shelved books and shied away from a handsome but shifty-looking man standing too close to her and staring hungrily. Rage filled him but just as he was about to step in, the man spoke again._

_“I’ll treat you to a real nice meal, and maybe after we could have a little fun; I’m the best you’ll ever have, sweet cheeks. C’mon, are you sayin’ no ‘cause I’m ugly or somethin’?”_

_(Y/N) looked at him with a mock expression of confusion. “Facially, or are we talking about your personality? I’m confused so you’ll have to clarify yourself for me.” Loki smirked to himself, amused at her witty comeback. “Now, I suggest that you check out a book to expand that non-existent brain of yours and leave before I call the police and have them teach you all about manners as they arrest you for stalking all the female employees here.”_

_The man’s jaw clenched in anger. “Wouldn’t wanna go out with a bitch like you anyways.” He stormed off down the aisle and she resumed her work._

_Careful not to be seen by (Y/N), Loki gritted his teeth and followed the man as he entered the men’s restroom. He tapped the man’s shoulder and when he turned around, punched him square in the jaw. The man toppled to the floor, clutching his face and moaning. Grabbing him tightly by the throat, Loki lifted him up easily and slammed him hard against the wall, causing the tiles behind him to crack. “If I_ ever _hear of you returning to this library or harassing that woman again, I will not hesitate in tracking you down and disembowel you.” To prove his point, he allowed his eyes to flash Jotun-red before returning to their usual green. “Understand?” Instead of answering, the terrified man’s eyes rolled back and he fainted. “Insignificant ant.” Loki threw him back to the ground roughly and left the restroom to search for (Y/N). She had moved on to the sciences, her usual gentle smile on her face as she worked. “Lady (Y/N)!”_

_She turned to him and her smile widened. “Hi Loki! You’re late, you know. I almost thought you weren’t going to come in today.”_

_Loki only grinned. “What, and miss our weekly talk? Unthinkable!” She laughed and continued shelving. “I…I actually arrived several minutes ago and witnessed you dealing with that pig. You have an astounding talent for witty insults, Lady (Y/N), I’m impressed.”_

_“Thank you, I’ve learned over the years that they’re the quickest way to make men like him go away.”_

_He felt his knees weaken when she grinned at him, attracted to the mischievous glint in her usually innocent eyes. His eyebrows furrowed, however, as he considered her relaxed demeanor. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is it that you stay so positive after being harassed and insulted like that? Does it not bother you?”_

_(Y/N) thought for a moment before responding. “Well…when I was little, my aunt used to always tell me this one quote from Eleanor Roosevelt; it goes something like ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’. So, whenever someone tries to put me down like that man just did, I think of that quote and try to remember that life’s too short to let people believe that they can control me.” Pushing her glasses up her nose, she directed her attention to the book in his hand. “So, did you enjoy the book?”_

_“Hmm? Oh, yes, very much!” Loki exclaimed, hoping that she wouldn’t notice how he stared at her. “Although, I’m not sure Tolkien needed to spend five pages describing a forest.”_

_She laughed again. “That’s one of the most common criticisms of Tolkien, you know. But you have to admit, his descriptions…” She continued talking, but Loki was only half-listening. She had surprised him with her answer to his question, and as he watched her talk animatedly about the merits of over-describing action and locations in novels, he knew that he couldn’t bring himself to tell her about his true identity. Not just because of how she would possibly react, but because it would almost certainly put her in danger. And he couldn’t purposefully put the most kindhearted woman he’d ever met in harm’s way, not for anything. With his mind made up, he just watched and listened to her speak with rapt attention and barely-concealed admiration._

“Loki!” He was drawn out of his thoughts by his brother, who hurried to walk alongside him. “I called to you several times, is there something on your mind that’s making you hard of hearing?”

“Nothing at all, brother, except the desire to return to my room and finish my book,” Loki snapped back. Although he’d never admit it out loud, Loki was happy that his relationship with Thor was different now that he wasn’t living in his brother’s shadow. The Avengers had allowed him to join their team to redeem himself and in turn he’d slowly earned their trust, finally making him feel just as respected as Thor for once in his life. And I suppose it’s rather nice to have a brother again, he thought begrudgingly, although he can still be as infuriating as ever.

Thor only chuckled. “Are you sure that’s the _only_ thing on your mind?” When Loki shot him a questioning look, Thor grinned. “I know that you’re thinking about your Lady (Y/N). When do I finally get to meet the woman who’s enchanted my brother?”

Groaning, Loki pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and avoided his brother’s eyes. “I deeply regret telling you about her, you know. As I’ve said before, she and I are merely _friends_ , Thor, nothing more. We have intellectual discussions about literature, something you could partake in and benefit from if you ever picked up a book in your life.”

“Whatever you say, Loki,” Still chuckling, Thor led them into the conference room and they took their seats at the table. The only other Avenger there was Steve since the rest of the team was on various missions or conducting experiments in the lab. “Did Fury mention why he’s called us here, Rogers?”

Steve shook his head, his arms crossed over his broad chest and a worried look on his face. “Nope, he didn’t say anything. His text sounded pretty serious, though.” They all seemed to have thought the same thing given that they were all dressed for battle; Thor and Loki in their Asgardian armor and Steve in his red, white and blue uniform complete with his vibranium shield.

Before Loki could speak, the director walked in with files in his hands. “Okay, now that everyone’s here we can begin. The three of you are gonna go on an extraction mission here in the city. As you know, our intelligence uncovered some Hydra files recently and they include one of their next targets. This is a sensitive one ‘cause we don’t know exactly when they’re gonna make their move, but we _do_ know it’ll be today so you’ll need to leave immediately.” Director Fury handed each of them a file and continued. “And because we’re on a tight schedule, we don’t know why they’re targeting her yet but we’ll be working on finding out the answer to that question while you’re gone.”

Loki took the file and opened it, but as soon as he saw the woman’s picture, he froze. It was (Y/N), and the photograph was taken from her library identification card she usually wore clipped to her belt. “I believe I may know why she’s being targeted.” When the rest of the group looked at him with confusion, he continued, “This woman is Lady (Y/N), my friend who works at the library down the street. I meet her there every Friday afternoon.”

“Let’s go.” Steve stood quickly and everyone else followed. “I’ll meet you two there.” Slinging his shield over his back, he jogged to the elevators that led to the entrance floor below.

Fear clenched at Loki’s heart as he and Thor hurried up the tower’s emergency stairwell to the protruding helipad; he never intended (Y/N) to become a target of Hydra and had taken every precautionary measure to ensure her safety. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him. “The library is west of the tower and three blocks down. I’ll go in first and meet you behind the building with her, all right?”

Thor nodded, a determined look on his face as he kicked open the door to the helipad. “No harm will come to her, brother, I promise.”

Without another word, Loki grabbed his brother’s arm as he swung his hammer and they shot into the air. Moments later, they landed in the alley alongside the library. Please let her be safe, he thought as he ran around the building and dashed up the front steps. Loki swiftly entered the building, ignoring all the strange looks he received because of his armor, and hurried over to the bookshelves. (Y/N) was in the philosophy section, so engrossed in her shelving that she didn’t notice him approach her. “Lady (Y/N)!”

She looked up from her cart and smiled. “Loki! Why are you wearing-?”

“Lady (Y/N),” He interrupted. “This is going to sound completely insane, but any moment now, some very dangerous men will come here and attempt to abduct you.” When she was about to interrupt, he held her shoulders and bent down so that he was eye-level with her. “This isn’t a joke, Lady (Y/N), I assure you, and I promise I’ll explain everything to you later, but we need to leave _now_. Do you trust me?”

(Y/N)’s widened eyes considered his for a moment before she slowly nodded. “Y-yes, Loki, I trust you.”

“All right, we need to get to the-” Before he could finish, the library door’s slammed open and they could hear what sounded like a several armed men enter as the rest of the patrons screamed and took cover. He cursed under his breath. “We need to hurry; is there another way out of here?”

“This way!” Snapping out of her shock, (Y/N) quickly led him through the rows of bookcases to a door at the back of the room, but before they could go through, they were suddenly surrounded by eight Hydra agents. The sight of the men pointing their guns in (Y/N)’s direction filled Loki with a rage unlike any he’d ever felt before; the only thing keeping him from slaughtering them where they stood was the woman standing beside him. As (Y/N) gasped in fear, Loki stepped in front of her and thrust out his hands, causing their guns to melt in their hands and transform into snakes; attention was drawn from the two of them as the men fell into a panic and attempted to untangle the serpents from their arms.

A moment later, Steve jumped into the middle of the fighting and slammed his shield into one man’s face. “Loki, get her out of here, I’ve got this!” He skillfully dodged an attack and threw his shield, knocking two of the men into unconsciousness before flying back onto his left arm.

Giving the super soldier a nod, Loki took (Y/N)’s hand and quickly led her through the door, which opened into a long hallway. “Watch out!”

He spun around as an armed man came sprinting towards them down the hallway, already pulling a gun out of its holster as he ran. Before he could raise his hand and use his magic or daggers to defend them, (Y/N) raised her own hands and the man was suddenly slammed against the wall by a purple force and knocked unconscious. Loki looked at her in shock, an emotion which was mirrored on her face as well. She looked down at her trembling hands and back up at him before her knees buckled and her eyes rolled back in her head; Loki lunged forward and caught her in his arms before her limp body could hit the floor. She doesn’t know she possesses magic, he thought in astonishment. Cradling her protectively in his arms, he hurried down the hall and kicked a door open with his foot, revealing the alley where his brother was waiting impatiently beside a cluster of unconscious Hydra agents.

“Is she all right?” Thor asked, but all Loki could do was give him a hopeless look. “I’ll take her back to the tower to Banner, you stay here and help Rogers.” Loki opened his mouth to protest, but Thor interrupted. “She’ll be safe with me, Loki, but Rogers needs assistance!”

Giving his brother a curt nod, he carefully placed (Y/N)’s unconscious form into Thor’s arms. “Take care of her, Thor.” He watched as Thor swung Mjolnir and shot into the sky, flying towards the Avengers tower with (Y/N) secure in his arms. The moment they left his vision, he hurried back inside and helped Steve defeat the men and the reinforcements they brought along. All he could think of while he fought, however, was (Y/N)’s unusually pale face, the incredible power she used to protect him and the fact that she seemed to have no knowledge of that power. He had a nagging suspicion about what that power meant, but he prayed to the Norns he was wrong; if he wasn’t, then it meant that (Y/N)’s world was about to be turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	3. Chapter 3 (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer for a brief scene of verbal harassment in this chapter*  
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

_Chapter Three (Part One)_

_April 15 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

(Y/N) slowly blinked her eyes open and immediately groaned, the bright light of the room causing a stab of pain to her temple. After she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she immediately noticed that she was propped up on a bed in what appeared to be a hospital room with a large glass wall overlooking the city. The next thing she noticed was Loki. He was slumped sideways in the chair next to her bed, his head resting on the wall as his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

She smiled, but then recalled everything that happened before she fell unconscious. The library, Loki dressed in golden armor, black-clad men with guns and…and _magic_. Loki used magic to create illusions, Captain America showed up and they were leaving when another man tried to attack them. She remembered feeling panic at the thought of Loki being hurt, she held her hands out defensively and somehow, she caused the man to slam against the wall and fall unconscious. That’s when everything became blurry and she fainted; she couldn’t even remember anything from her dreams, save for several flashes of reddish light. Frowning, she stared down at her hands. They looked perfectly normal to her, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe I got food poisoning from lunch and began hallucinating, she thought to herself.

As if sensing her deep contemplation, Loki began to stir, sleepily blinking his eyes open. When he noticed that she was awake, he immediately shot up in his seat. “Lady (Y/N)! How are you feeling?”

“Um…all right, I guess. I just have a small headache.” She rubbed her temple and looked into his concerned green eyes. “What happened? I remember we were at the library but I think I was hallucinating because you were wearing golden armor and using magic against these men who were trying to abduct me, and for some reason, Captain America was there and then _I_ used purple magic…did I have food poisoning or something?”

Loki sighed and sat back in his chair. “No, you didn’t have food poisoning; I know that this is going to sound completely mad to you, but everything you saw actually happened.” When she raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, he gave her a small smile. “I suppose I’ll have to prove it to you.” In a golden flash, his normal clothes shifted into green and black leather robes over which golden armor rested. A long emerald-green cloak and golden horned helmet completed the ensemble. “Allow me to reintroduce myself; I’m Loki, of Asgard.”

(Y/N)’s mouth fell open, realizing with a flash that he was the same man who nearly destroyed New York a few years earlier. It took her a split-second to understand that the reason she never recognized him was because the man she befriended wasn’t the man she’d seen on the choppy news footage; that man had looked deranged, full of anger and hatred, and Loki had been nothing but kind and curious in the two months she had known him. And besides, the attack on New York happened when she was still mourning her aunt…

Shaking her head to clear away the painful memories, she looked into his cautious green eyes. “Okay then, I guess you’re right.” Suddenly, a fresh jumble of thoughts came to her. “You and your brother aren’t civilian consultants, and…wait, your brother is Thor, isn’t he? And you’re part of the Avengers?”

“Correct, Lady (Y/N), though technically, Thor’s only my adoptive brother. I’m terribly sorry for lying to you about my true identity…” Loki’s modern clothes returned as he looked down at his folded hands, and she noticed that they had begun to shake slightly. “I…I suppose I wanted at least one person in the universe to know me as just Loki, not as the monster that everyone else sees when they look at me; I also wanted to prevent any enemies of mine from discovering _your_ identity and harming you, but it appears that I failed in both tasks. I understand if you despise me and never want to see me again-”

“Hey,” (Y/N) gently took his hand, sighing when he refused to look up at her. “I could never despise you, Loki, you’re my friend; my best friend, actually. What you did in the past was wrong, yes, but you’re not a monster and I believe people can be redeemed. You’re already doing a wonderful job of that; I mean, you’re working with the same heroes you were fighting against a couple of years ago, which means that you’re on the good side now. None of your enemies harmed me, because you came to my rescue before they could,” With her other hand, she rested it against his cheek and smiled when he slowly leaned into her touch. “And I’ll always see you as just Loki, the kind and intelligent man who loves literature as much as I do but who stubbornly refuses to pick up a copy of _The Lightning Thief._ ”

Loki finally looked up with his usual smile, but his eyes revealed how vulnerable he felt. “It’s not because I’m being _stubborn_ , I just believe that the series is overrated by you Midgardians.”

She only giggled. “One day I’ll change your mind about those books, just you wait.” They both smiled, and she was glad to see that he was cheering up, but her own smile fell when she remembered why she was in a hospital room. “You said some bad men were trying to abduct me, and that I used magic. Can you please explain everything to me?”

“Of course I can, Lady (Y/N), but it’s a rather long story.” He removed her hand from his cheek, holding it gently in his as he glanced at her hesitantly before continuing. “But first, do you know anything about your birth parents?”

Her heartbeat quickened; she hadn’t talked to anyone about her parents since her aunt died nearly three years before, but she knew deep down that Loki had asked about them for a specific reason. However, she decided to only give him a brief answer. “Not really. I know that my father’s name was David and that he was my aunt’s older brother, but I don’t know anything about my mother…not even her name; you see, they left me with my aunt when I was three months old. That’s about it. My aunt never likes – never _liked_ – talking about them much.” Her voice cracked and she looked down to avoid Loki’s gaze. “What does this have to do with what happened in the library?”

Sighing, Loki’s thumb began rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand. “When you used offensive-based magic on one of those men had a suspicion as to why you could, but it wasn’t until I performed a sensory spell on you and Doctor Banner ran tests on your blood that I was positive…Lady (Y/N), I don’t know the exact reasoning behind your parents’ decision to abandon you, but I _do_ know that it probably had to do with the fact that your mother wasn’t from Midgard, or what you would call Earth.”

“What?”

“Your mother was from Alfheim, one of the Nine Worlds and the home of the Light Elves.”

(Y/N)’s mouth fell open. “So, I’m able to perform magic because my mother was…an _elf_?”

Loki nodded, his brow furrowed in concern. “Yes, and from what I can deduce an extremely powerful one.” When she lowered her gaze to stare at their joined hands, his voice took an impossibly gentle tone. “I…I know better than most how overwhelming all of this is, but know that you’re not alone, Lady (Y/N).”

“Do you…do you know what happened her? Or my father?” She wiped away the tears that had begun to fall. “Are they even alive?”

“I’m sorry, Lady (Y/N), but I have no idea. All I can assume is that your parents left all those years ago to protect you from those who would use you for your magic.”

(Y/N) nodded, a small flicker of hope sparking at his words that she might finally have a chance to find her parents; she’d tried and failed to track them down over the years, and she’d even debated whether or not to hire a private investigator but had always chickened out at the last minute. Though she was still extremely angry that they had abandoned her, it was a little surprising to know that they might’ve had a compelling reason for their actions. “People like those men earlier.”

“Yes. Those men who were trying to abduct you, they were agents of Hydra, a secretive terrorist organization that is attempting to overthrow world governments and establish a new-world order. One of the many ways they’re trying to achieve this goal is by scouring the globe for anyone with special abilities and training them to follow their commands; one of my fellow teammates, Sergeant James Barnes, was a former Hydra prisoner and weapon before joining the Avengers. S.H.I.E.L.D. has recently infiltrated their databases and deduced that they were somehow tipped off to your… _potential_ , and wish to use your abilities to achieve their goals of world domination.”

“So, what exactly are my…abilities?”

He cocked his head as if contemplating the answer. “From what I’ve sensed, I can tell you that you possess _Alf Seidr_ , a very rare and powerful form of elf magic. Alfheimians are very protective of their magic and not much is known about it or even their culture, so to determine what you can do you would have to practice…which brings us to our next point.” After pausing for a moment, he continued. “Director Fury, the man in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., wanted me to inform you that at this time, you only have two viable options for your future. You can either accept S.H.I.E.L.D.’s protection, be relocated to another country and live peacefully under a new identity so Hydra won’t find you, or…well, you could join the Avengers.” Loki’s frown deepened, and his green eyes flickered in annoyance. “I told the director that there was no need to pressure you to choose yet, it’s bad enough that you’re being forced to learn the truth of your heritage and then he wants to add the stress of deciding your entire future, it’s completely-”

“I’ll join the Avengers.”

Loki was stunned. “Really? Are you certain?”

(Y/N) slowly nodded, touched by his concern for her. “When I was little, I always knew that I wanted to help people; that’s the reason why I became a librarian in the first place, I thought that it was the best way I could use my love of literature to help as many people as I could. But after learning that I have these…powers, that can help the entire world and even _other_ worlds…I don’t think I can just go into hiding for the rest of my life and never try and use them to help others.” Smiling, she squeezed his hand. “It’s the right thing to do, Loki. Besides, I have to stick around to make you read _The Lightning Thief_ one day, remember?” They both chuckled, cutting through the tension of the conversation.

“Well, in that case…it’s my honor to be the first to welcome you to the Avengers, Lady (Y/N).” Loki grinned, happiness and perhaps a smidge of relief brightening his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After she accepted Director Fury’s offer, Loki insisted that she needed more rest; the amount of magic she had used against the Hydra agent had drained her energy and he claimed that she would feel better after a few more hours of sleep. But once he left the room to report to Director Fury, (Y/N) spent the next few hours simply thinking. Twelve hours ago, she was only (Y/N) (Y/L/N), a parent-less twenty-six-year-old trainee librarian at the New York Public Library who kept to herself outside of work and read an alarming number of books in her spare time. But now she was (Y/N) (Y/L/N), the daughter of a mortal man and a Light Elf, a practitioner of _Alf Seidr_ , and the Avengers’ newest recruit.

Although it was still _a lot_ to take in and her mind hadn’t quite wrapped around it, she knew that she made the right choice to join “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”; even if she was relocated to a different country and given a new identity, she knew deep-down that her life wouldn’t be any better than it was currently. Joining a team of heroes and using her powers to save others would give her a greater sense of accomplishment, would make her feel as if she had a greater purpose in the world besides only shelving books. And maybe I’ll be able to make some more friends while I’m at it, she thought with an inward smile. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the doorframe. Looking up, her eyes fell on a man with dark curly hair, glasses and a kind smile on his face.

“Hi, I’m Doctor Banner, but you can call me Bruce.” Bruce came closer and offered her his hand to shake.

Smiling, (Y/N) sat up and shook it. “Hi Bruce, I’m (Y/N). Are you the doctor who took care of me earlier?”

Bruce nodded. “Yep, that’s me. I’m here to just do a quick evaluation to see if you’re ready to leave the sickbay.” After gently taking her wrist and feeling her pulse, he pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket and checked her pupils. “Okay (Y/N), you’re good to go. Just try not to use any magic for a couple of weeks, all right?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t really have any control over it.” Swinging her legs off the bed, she slowly stood up and stretched her stiff back, then put on her glasses when Bruce handed them to her. “Well, not yet, anyways.”

“C’mon, a few of the others are waiting to meet you in the common room.” As they left the room and walked down a hallway, Bruce looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I know that we just met and everything, but would you like a piece of free advice? About controlling your magic, I mean?”

She followed him into an elevator and smiled. “I’d love some.”

“I’m by no means an expert on powers, or whatever you wanna call them, so this is based purely on observation; it’s not just about controlling your them – your powers, I mean – it’s also about controlling your emotions and keeping them in check. Strong ones, like anger or passion, can sometimes be a trigger, so when your emotions become a little too much to handle, just focus on steadying your breathing to ground yourself.” The elevator shot up several floors.

His name sounds familiar, she thought as they exited. But while she considered his advice, it clicked. “Thank you for the advice, Bruce. Is that what you do so you don’t…you know…?”

Bruce grinned, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Hulk-out? Yeah, it’s usually what I try to do, to varying levels of success.” He led her into a vast common room occupied by several people chatting and lounging on the couches as they watched a film on the enormous television screen on the wall. “Hey guys, this is (Y/N), the new recruit.” Everyone got up from their seats and approached them slowly. They probably don’t want to startle me, she thought, taken aback at their consideration.

The first person to step forward was a familiar muscular blonde man, dressed nicely in jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt with a kind smile on his lips. “My name is Steve Rogers; it’s an honor to officially meet you.”

“It’s great to meet you too, Steve.” (Y/N) shook his hand. “I remember you from the library; thank you for helping stop those men.” Steve ducked his head, clearly bashful, and (Y/N) took an immediate liking to the super soldier.

“James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky; everyone else does.” Bucky brushed his long hair out of his eyes and offered her his hand to shake. He was dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a snug tee-shirt, which clearly showed off his muscular build and completely metallic left arm.

She shook his hand and returned his bright smile. “Hi Bucky! Loki told me a little bit about you earlier, it’s nice to have a face to put with the name.” He seemed a little shocked at her warm greeting, and she realized with a start that he must be self-conscious about his metal arm around strangers; luckily, Bucky took her kindness as a good sign and the tension in his shoulders disappeared.

The third man, who she quickly realized was Falcon, unceremoniously elbowed Bucky out of the way and took her hand. “The name’s Sam Wilson, (Y/N), and let me just say that it’s a pleasure to have you on the team.” After letting go of her hand, he shot Bucky a smug smile as the Winter Soldier scowled and Steve rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Thanks Sam…that’s, um, very kind of you to say…”

A red-headed woman in workout clothes was the last to step forward. “Just ignore those two, they have some stupid rivalry that’s been going on for a while now. I’m Natasha, it’s great to meet you!” Natasha, instead of shaking her hand as the others had, pulled her in for a hug. “I know how hard it must be for you to adjust to all this, so I’m here if you ever need anyone to talk to.”

“T-thank you, Natasha,” (Y/N) pulled back and blinked back the tears that had formed. The kindness that everyone was showing her was turning her into an emotional wreck. “Do any of you know where Loki is?”

Just then, the elevator behind them opened and out stepped Loki and a muscular man with shoulder-length blonde hair; both men were holding several enormous cardboard boxes in their arms with ease. “Lady (Y/N), you’re up!”

The blonde man set his boxes down and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that lifted her off her feet. “It’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Lady (Y/N); Loki has told me many great things about you!” He released her and gave her a wide grin. “He certainly didn’t exaggerate your beauty and charm; it most assuredly rivals that of Midgardians and Asgardians alike, does it not, Loki?” The man’s grin widened as he shot his brother a wink and (Y/N) blushed at his compliments.

“Brother!” Loki hissed, his face tinged with red as he looked from the man to her. “Lady (Y/N), this complete oaf here is my brother, Thor.”

(Y/N) pushed her glasses up her nose and beamed up at Thor, her cheeks still red from his compliment and Loki’s reaction, and her body still sore from his hug. “It’s good to meet you, Thor! What’s in the boxes?”

“Ah, well, since you have decided to join the Avengers, Director Fury insisted that you move into the tower for your safety, at least until you receive enough training to protect yourself. Thor and I visited your apartment and brought all of your clothing and possessions so you can feel more at home while you’re here. And he also mentioned that S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken over paying your rent, so you need not worry about it for the time being.”

“Oh,” Her throat tightened and her eyes began to water again, but she was quick to hide her emotions behind a smile. “T-that’s very considerate of you…and of S.H.I.E.L.D., for that matter. Where exactly will I be staying?”

After bidding the others goodbye, (Y/N) followed Thor and Loki down the hall, smiling faintly as the brothers bickered about who was carrying more and led her to her room. Well, a better word for it would be suite; there was a small lounge, a bedroom with a window that overlooked the city and a large bathroom. It was completely undecorated, allowing her to personalize it with her own things, although she didn’t have much; her tiny one-room apartment didn’t allow for her to have too many possessions.

“I’m sorry that I cannot help you unpack, but I must speak with Rogers about our next mission.” Setting down his boxes, Thor took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady (Y/N), and I look forward to getting to know my brother’s favorite Midgardian better.”

(Y/N) smiled bemusedly up at him. “It was nice to meet you too, Thor.” The golden-haired man gave her and Loki another smile and left, oblivious to the glare his younger brother was giving him. “Your brother seems…nice.” Loki rolled his eyes. “Am I really your favorite Midgardian?”

“O-of course, Lady (Y/N),” His face turned pink and he directed his attention to the boxes. “Anyways, would you allow me to assist you with unpacking? There’s not many things but I wouldn’t want you to exhaust yourself too much-”

(Y/N) cut him off by throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. In their nearly two months of friendship, they hadn’t shared much physical contact beyond accidentally brushing fingers when exchanging books; (Y/N) had wondered if he wasn’t used to it or too fond of it since he’d stiffen up during those brief occurrences, so she always made sure to respect his personal space. However, she couldn’t hold back from hugging him after feeling an overwhelming rush of gratefulness towards him. As she suspected, Loki once again stiffened, but after a long moment, he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, making her heart beat faster as she buried her face in his chest. “Thank you, Loki. I wouldn’t even be here if not for you and you’ve been so kind to me, so…thank you, for being an amazing friend, for saving me…for everything.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Lady (Y/N).” He murmured next to her ear, one of his hands coming up to stroke the back of her head. “I promise.”

“Hey, Reindeer Games is finally getting some!” They hastily detangled themselves and looked at the doorway of the room. Leaning against the doorframe was a tall, dark-haired older man with carefully groomed facial hair and a self-assured smile. He was dressed stylishly in a grey suit and although he was clearly handsome, he exuded arrogance as he took a sip of the amber-colored drink in his hands. “It’s only taken, what? A thousand years?”

Loki shot the man the dirtiest look she’d ever seen, his arm winding itself securely around her waist again. “Lady (Y/N), this is Anthony Stark, another member of the Avengers and the owner of this tower.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Anthony,” (Y/N) smiled hesitantly. Of course, she’d heard of Mister Stark, Stark Industries and his status as Iron Man before from the news; she’d even spotted him fly over the library several times on her way to and from work. But she didn’t exactly appreciate how the billionaire spoke to Loki; however, she tried not to let her indignation show since he was clearly inebriated.

“Call me Tony, sweetheart.” Tony’s eyes looked her up and down, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. “You’re easy on the eyes for an E.T., you know. Say, how ’bout we ditch Rock of Ages here and go on a private tour of the tower this afternoon? I might even, ah, show you my ‘secret identity’ if you promise not to use your voodoo-magic on me.” Loki stiffened and the arm around her waist tightened.

(Y/N)’s fists clenched at her sides. The drunken Tony Stark reminded her too much of the men who would harass her at work, so she figured that it meant he deserved to be treated as one. “I’m sorry, but Loki’s already offered to help me unpack and decorate my room this afternoon. Thank you for the offer, but I suggest that the next time you speak to me or my best friend, you do so with your mouth and not your ass or else you’ll find out exactly what this ‘E.T.’ can do to you.” Pulling away from Loki, she marched to the door and slammed it in Tony’s stunned face. When she turned around to look at Loki, she was a little pleased that he looked both astounded and impressed of her outburst. “Like I always say, life’s too short to let people like that control me, no matter who they think they are. Besides,” Her smile grew. “ _No one_ has the right to talk to my favorite Asgardian that way.”

Loki’s face brightened with a wide grin. “You’re quite correct, Lady (Y/N). Now, would you like to begin shelving your books while I unpack them for you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	4. Chapter 3 (Part II)

_Chapter Three (Part Two)_

_April 29 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

Over the next couple of weeks, Loki helped (Y/N) acclimate to her new and overwhelming role as an Avenger. He gave her tours of different parts of the tower, introduced her to several teammates she hadn’t met yet, and read with her in her room when she grew tired or was feeling too uncomfortable with all the attention. Whenever (Y/N) wasn’t with Loki, she was slowly getting to know the rest of the team. While she got along fairly well with all of them, she was the most comfortable around Steve and Bruce; She and Steve initially bonded over their mutual love of classic films and history books, and Bruce was always kind enough to invite her down to the lab for lunch whenever she wasn’t busy with Loki.

The only Avenger that (Y/N) couldn’t stand being around, however, was Iron Man himself. It was no secret that (Y/N) and Tony disliked each other; it turned out the Artificial Intelligence system named J.A.R.V.I.S. had caught their first interaction on camera and the other Avengers had gotten a hold of the recording; they thought it was hilarious that the self-proclaimed playboy had gotten a well-deserved talking-to and Tony fumed because it had somehow gotten leaked to the others. (Y/N) suspected that Loki had something to do with its release but whenever she mentioned it to him, he’d only flashed her a mischievous smile and changed the subject. Thankfully, whenever Tony wasn’t on a mission he was either busy in the lab or off overseeing Stark Industries, so (Y/N) didn’t see him around very often.

Once her prescribed two weeks of rest were up, (Y/N)’s magical training began. She, Loki and Thor gathered together in the tower’s gymnasium; now that she knew the brothers were Asgardian gods, it was amusing to see them dressed in ‘Midgardian’ workout clothes. And it’s official, she thought as she subtly examined her best friend and his hoodie-basketball shorts combination, Loki looks handsome in just about everything he wears.

“Magic is nothing without concentration, Lady (Y/N). You must focus _completely_ on the task you’re trying to accomplish, or you risk failing and perhaps overexerting yourself.” Loki paced before her with his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke, looking every part the serious instructor.

Thor spoke up, “What did you feel when you used your magic on that Hydra agent?” Thor was only there to observe and occasionally offer advice, but (Y/N) had found herself comforted by the older Asgardian’s supportive presence.

(Y/N) thought back to the incident at the library. “Well, I remember seeing the man and thinking ‘He’s going to hurt us.’ Then, I sort of instinctively raised my hands and felt a tugging in the pit of my stomach; that’s when I pushed him back with the purple magic and fainted.”

“The reason you fainted was because although you had the proper concentration on your target, you didn’t have a clear thought about what to do to him, which caused you to use too much magic.” Loki explained patiently. “When performing magic, you _must_ keep two things in mind: Object and intent. That way, you can control how much magic you use and keep it from exhausting or killing yourself.”

“All right, object and intent. Got it.” She nodded in acknowledgement. “And will I always have to use my hands to perform magic?”

Loki tilted his head thoughtfully and stopped pacing. “I’m not sure. Since very little is known about your particular brand of magic, you may be able to eventually use both your hands and your eyes. It will undoubtedly take a great deal of practice to even reach that level so for the time being, you’ll only try and use your hands. Now, let’s begin, shall we?” He looked around the room, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Thor, do you remember what Mother used when she first taught us levitation, before you stubbornly quit to train as a warrior?”

“Ah, you mean when you used your tricks to make an illusion of a troll chase me around the palace and I decided that magic wasn’t to my liking?” Thor chuckled as his younger brother shrugged innocently. “If I recall correctly, Mother had us begin by practicing on statues in the gardens. I don’t think that will work for a Midgardian beginner such as Lady (Y/N), though; they’re too heavy.”

(Y/N) pointed at the rack of weights across the room. “What about those?”

Smiling, Loki went over and came back with a ten-pound weight in his hand. “Brilliant, Lady (Y/N)!” He set the weight in front of her and backed away to stand next to Thor. “Try and levitate this. Remember, object and intent.”

“Okay,” She took a deep breath and raised her hands. Her eyes never left the weight as she willed it to obey her. Nothing happened. Frowning, she stared down the weight until she felt a familiar tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach; the weight was all the sudden surrounded by a purple glow, rising about a foot in the air before landing back on the ground with a dull thud. “I did it!”

“Well done!” Loki was beaming, a hint of pride in his green eyes. “This time, levitate it and see if you can’t move it in other directions…”

Hours later, (Y/N) was drenched in sweat and her body ached all over, but she’d progressed to controlling fifty-pound weights to move around the room; Loki decided to call it a day when he and Thor were nearly smacked in the head by a wayward dumbbell.

“I know it’s your turn to read aloud but I don’t mind taking over; you’ve worked hard today, after all.”

(Y/N), who was lying flat on her back on the ground, groaned. “Thank you, Loki, that would be great; I wouldn’t want to stumble over my words.” Over the past week, she and Loki had taken turns reading poetry aloud to one another; since he enjoyed reading _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ so much she’d introduced him to her leather-bound collection of famous poems, which he’d instantly taken to. “Why didn’t you two tell me magic was so tiring?”

Loki only chuckled from his seat on the workout bench beside her. “Don’t fret, Lady (Y/N), magic becomes nearly effortless after a while. I must say, though, you’re learning quickly for a beginner, it’s impressive.”

“Loki’s right, your magic is stronger than I could have ever expected, Lady (Y/N).” Thor spoke as he sat next to his brother. “And I know for a fact that it’s nearly impossible to impress him.” He nudged his brother’s shoulder with his own. “Perhaps she’ll impress you again when her magic surpasses yours one day, brother!”

“I have no problems with that, Thor, just as long as she promises to use her magic to bludgeon you with dumbbells whenever required.” That made them all laugh.

(Y/N) clambered to her feet and stretched her arms. “Well, I’m going to go take a quick shower before we read; I’ll meet you in your room in an hour, okay?” After turning to leave, she turned around to face the brothers, specifically the eldest of the two. “And Thor, if you even think about eating my snacks while I’m in the shower like last time, I promise that I’ll tell everyone about your secret stash of Pop-Tarts.” Thor gulped nervously as she shifted her gaze to the younger brother. “Could you please protect my snacks from him, Loki?”

Loki nodded, giving her a mock-bow and a grin. “I shall endeavor to guard your snacks from all who dare threaten them, my lady!”

“Oh, my hero!” Playing along with him, she clutched her chest and looked up at the ceiling dramatically, earning another laugh from both men. “See you soon…”

She left the gymnasium and as she walked down the hall, she heard Thor remark, “Well, brother, I can certainly see why you-Ow! That hurt!”

Behind all the pranks and insults they seem to care a lot for each other, she thought with a smile as she made her way to the elevator. She’d spent the past couple of weeks silently observing the brothers, and despite being slightly intimidated by him during their first meeting, she’d grown quite fond of Thor. And although he’d never admit it to her, she began to think that Loki was wary of living in Thor’s shadow, but she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by prying. Pride filled her as she thought of his praise of her developing magical skills, and she couldn’t wait to learn more about her powers with him. Hopefully I won’t be as sore from now on, though, she thought with a wince when she stepped into the elevator and hurried off to enjoy a soothing shower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A moment after she knocked, Loki opened his door of his suite with his usual grin. “Your snacks, my lady, kept safe from annoying oafs as promised.” He allowed her in and closed the door behind her before gesturing to his large sofa and coffee table piled high with food. “Make yourself comfortable.”

(Y/N) smiled and sat herself carefully on the cushions, sighing in satisfaction at how comfortable they felt to her still-aching muscles. His room was very similar to hers, except his had a distinct green and gold theme whereas hers was more lavender mixed with other pastels. “Thank you, Loki. I was wondering, have you ever tutored anyone else in magic before?”

He sat next to her, her leather-bound book in his hand. “Never. I’m simply attempting to channel everything my mother taught me about magic when I first began, though I’m afraid I’m not nearly as skilled as she is…”

“Well, I think you make a wonderful teacher!” Her pulse quickened when he smiled shyly at her compliment, so to distract herself she began nibbling on her granola bar. “Now, where did we stop yesterday?”

“Um…” Flicking through the pages, he found the page that was bookmarked. “Ah yes, ‘[She Walks in Beauty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e29l6eqpMv8).’” He cleared his throat and began reading aloud:

“She walks in beauty, like the night   
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;   
And all that’s best of dark and bright   
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;   
Thus mellowed to that tender light   
Which heaven to gaudy day denies. 

One shade the more, one ray the less,   
Had half impaired the nameless grace   
Which waves in every raven tress,   
Or softly lightens o’er her face;   
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,   
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. 

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,   
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,   
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,   
But tell of days in goodness spent,   
A mind at peace with all below,   
A heart whose love is innocent!”

(Y/N) sighed dreamily when he finished. “I’ve always thought that poem was brilliant. The way Lord Byron presents the woman’s beauty as a delicate balance between light and dark is so eloquent, and I love the conclusion he draws about inner and outer beauty living in harmony with one another. It’s very sweet how he describes this woman who he obviously has feelings for…” She trailed off when she noticed Loki smirking. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that you’ve proven a theory of mine correct.”

“And what theory would that be, exactly?” Crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow at him and tried not to smile at his smug expression.

“That you, Lady (Y/N), are a _hopeless_ romantic.” Loki grinned triumphantly as a blush spread over her cheeks. “I suspected as much when you recommended _Pride and Prejudice_ to me all those weeks ago; though you claimed you enjoyed the novel for the witty banter and period drama, it was obvious that you also enjoyed it for the romantic plot between Elizabeth Bennet and Mister Darcy.”

Shrugging noncommittally, (Y/N) retorted, “All right, I’ll admit that I’m a hopeless romantic…just as soon as you do.” His green eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you flicking through _Much Ado About Nothing_ the other day, and when you were reading ‘She Walks in Beauty’ just now you couldn’t keep the goofy smile off your face.”

Loki’s stunned expression shifted as he gave her a lopsided grin. “I suppose you’re right, Lady (Y/N). Though if word of that got out it would ruin my reputation as a terrifying, all-powerful god, wouldn’t you say?” He leaned closer and jokingly stage-whispered, “I promise not to tell anyone your secret if you promise not to tell them mine. Agreed?”

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Loki.” She felt as if she were melting under his intense gaze, and it wasn’t until her eyes involuntarily flicked to his lips did she realize how close their faces were. Quickly pulling away, she fumbled with the hem of her peasant-top and trained her eyes on the book in his lap, fully aware that her face was reddening as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. “So, um, shall we continue?”

She heard him clear his throat and reply, “Yes, of course, um, right…” He hastily picked the book up and flipped the page, the sight of him licking his finger to do so only causing her blush to deepen. “All right: ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud…’”

As he continued to read poem after poem, (Y/N) replayed everything that had happened in her mind. She’d nearly thrown caution to the wind and kissed her best friend. Over their three months of friendship, the small crush she’d been harboring for the Asgardian had developed into something much larger and though she wasn’t sure if what she felt was love, since she’d never experienced it before, she knew that her strong feelings could jeopardize their friendship. Besides that, he was an Asgardian, practically a god, and she was just an ordinary Midgardian who just happened to have a Light Elf for a mother; there was absolutely no chance of him possibly returning her feelings so at that moment, she decided to try her hardest to repress them for both their sakes and the sake of their friendship.

But maybe I’ll let myself enjoy today, she thought, tentatively leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being so close to him. To her surprise, he reached around her shoulders and pulled her closer, leaving his arm wrapped tightly around her as he continued to read. His soothing musical voice combined with the warmth he radiated and his unique scent relaxed and lulled her to sleep, but not before she heard him flip back several pages and read, “‘She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies…’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

_May 23 rd, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

“What was that?”

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, trying in vain to conceal his annoyance with the super soldier seated before him. “As I _just_ said, Steve, I wish to begin training Lady (Y/N) to use Asgardian weapons.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to pay him a visit while he’s writing a mission report, he thought with an inward eye roll. It was well-known throughout the tower that Captain Rogers absolutely _hated_ doing paperwork and had extreme difficulty focusing on it, not that Loki could blame him; when Director Fury forced him to fill out reports after his first mission, Loki seriously considered leaving the planet for good to avoid the torture.

After almost a month of intense daily magical and hand-to-hand combat training, (Y/N) was developing into quite a formidable warrior. They’d discovered through trial and error that she was particularly skilled at controlling solid objects with her mind – what she and other Midgardians in the tower had called telekinesis. Natasha had taken over her hand-to-hand combat training and reported that although (Y/N) was not the most athletic person in the tower, she was coming along all right. However, Loki was still nervous that she would be vulnerable in battle, which was why he decided to consult Steve about extra weapons training.

Steve finally looked up from his paper. “ _Asgardian_ weapons? Why not guns?”

“Because your Midgardian weapons don’t mix well with magic and besides, she’ll be able to master a bow or sword faster than a gun thanks to her Alfheimian heritage; their battle techniques are very similar to those of Asgard’s, so I’ll have no trouble training her.”

“Well, if you think it’s what’s best for her then I agree.” The super soldier set his pen down and frowned. “Which reminds me, Sam and Buck mentioned earlier that (Y/N)’s been in her room all morning; she said that she wasn’t feeling too well but they’re worried. Since you two are so close, maybe you could check in on her and see if she’s okay?”

Furrowing his brow, Loki nodded. “Of course, I’ll go right away.” He turned and left Steve’s room; luckily, (Y/N)’s room was on the same floor and it only took a moment for him to reach it. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her door. “Lady (Y/N)? May I come in?” After several moments, he heard muffled shuffling and the door swung open. Loki’s brow furrowed as he took in his best friend’s appearance; usually, (Y/N) was always dressed nicely, even during training sessions, so he was concerned to see her wearing sweatpants, an oversized tee-shirt and fuzzy socks on her feet. Her (Y/H/C) hair was obviously un-kept and her (Y/E/C) eyes were tinged with red behind her crooked glasses. “Are you well?”

(Y/N) nodded, but an uncharacteristic frown was on her lips. “Yes, I-I’m fine, Loki, it’s just…” She trailed off and looked at her stockinged feet before continuing. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want everyone to worry or fuss, but…well, today’s the third anniversary of my aunt’s passing.”

“Oh,” He felt a rush of remorse towards her. When she first joined the Avengers over three months ago, he was given her file to read by Director Fury so he could better deduce what powers she had. As he suspected, there was nothing in her file to suggest she had any, but in the meantime, he did learn many things about his Midgardian friend’s past; her father had been a sports writer before he disappeared under mysterious circumstances three months after her birth, and there was absolutely no information pertaining to (Y/N)’s mother, which was unsurprising to him considering her lineage. Loki learned that (Y/N)’s aunt, her father’s little sister, was a musician in her younger years and worked as a guitar tutor throughout (Y/N)’s childhood to support the both of them. He also learned that (Y/N) had a close relationship with her aunt, as they were members of several different book clubs over the years, but unfortunately, the file stated that her aunt died tragically of leukemia. As soon as he first read about her loss, he was torn about what to do; he wanted to give (Y/N) his condolences, but he refused to be the one responsible for bringing up her pain again, so he reluctantly decided to stay silent unless she brought it up herself. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Do you mind staying with me for a while?”

The helplessness he saw in her eyes when she looked up at him caused his chest to tighten in sympathy. “Of course not, Lady (Y/N).” He followed her into her room, closing her door behind them before sitting next to her on the sofa. “What’s this you’re reading?”

She adjusted the book on her lap so he could see it too. “It’s not a book, it’s a photo album; it’s full of all the pictures my aunt took of me while I was growing up.” Flipping to the beginning of the album, she pointed at a photograph of a smiling baby, her tiny arms wrapped around a stuffed teddy bear as her large (Y/E/C) eyes sparkled with mirth. “That’s me; my aunt took this the day my parents left me with her.”

“If you don’t mind me saying, you were a very adorable baby.” Loki smiled proudly when her lips twitched in amusement at his statement, so he flipped to another page. “And what in Odin’s name are you wearing in this one?”

“I was five years old and I really wanted to be a cowgirl-princess for Halloween, so my aunt stayed up all night sewing my costume in time for preschool the next day. I managed to get first place in the costume contest!” (Y/N) giggled as they looked down at the photograph of her younger self, who was smiling toothily as the camera as her tiara tilted on her head and her cow-patterned vest slipped off her small shoulder.

Loki flicked through several more pages, making various amusing observations for her benefit and mentally noting that the album contained no photos of her parents, before stopping again. It was a photograph of a teenage (Y/N) standing arm in arm with an older woman in the middle of a small bookshop. The woman was a little taller than (Y/N), but she shared the same bright smile and intelligent eyes with her niece. “Is this your aunt?” When she nodded, he looked back at the picture. “She was a very beautiful woman.” Just like you, he thought, wishing he could pluck up the courage to tell her at a more appropriate time.

(Y/N) nodded again, looking out of the window at the skyline. “Yeah, she was. She always told me that the happiest day of her life was the day my parents left me with her; you see, she was never able to have kids herself, so when she got me she thought it was a miracle. You know, she was the only person who ever encouraged me to read while I was growing up? And she was also the only person who supported my decision to become a librarian, everybody else thought I was insane. She was the one who taught me to be independent and to think for myself no matter who or what would try and stop me. I think you two would’ve really gotten along; she wasn’t very fond of Tolkien’s tendency to over-describe everything either,” She chuckled and wiped away a tear from her cheek. “Aunt Evelyn was one of a kind, Loki, and I miss her every day.”

“It’s a shame that I cannot meet her.” He spoke quietly after a moment. “She seemed to be a wonderful woman, and it would’ve been an honor to thank her for raising such a strong and compassionate woman.” When she turned to look at him, her eyes were full of fresh tears; without another word, Loki set the photo album aside, opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace, gently holding her and occasionally rubbing soothing circles over her back as she sobbed into his chest.

Although he had thankfully never experienced the loss of family before, many of his fellow Asgardian warriors had died on the battlefield and part of his princely duties comprised of informing their widows and widowers of their loss. He was always haunted by their gut-wrenching sobs and empty eyes after every visit, but he continued to carry out his responsibility because he understood that they needed comfort to help them cope.

He also knew something of grief himself; though he’d never lost a loved one, he experienced the painful loss of his innocence when he discovered the truth about his parentage and he had no one to comfort him. Loki often wondered how everything would have turned out if he had someone to turn to the moment he discovered his Jotun heritage; he might never had tried to destroy Thor or conquer Midgard, and he never would have been…there’s no use in worrying about the past, he thought, pulling (Y/N) even closer and relaxing against the cushions of the sofa. He got through his grief alone and with great difficulty, but he was determined to make sure (Y/N) had the support and comfort she deserved.

After a long time, (Y/N)’s sobs subsided and eventually stopped, but her face remained buried in his chest. “Do…do you mind telling me about Light Elves again?”

Her muffled and hoarse voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Of course not, Lady (Y/N).” She’d asked him that same question at least a dozen times already, ever since she learned about her true lineage, and he’d come to realize that hearing about her mother’s race gave her comfort and helped her feel closer to her, despite the anger Loki knew she felt towards both of her parents. The others thought it was an odd question to ask so much, but he understood and never tired of answering it. “Light Elves are extremely brave and confident creatures; they take great pride in their magical abilities and give great respect to any who can perform _Alf Seidr._ They live in Alfheim, a realm as grand and beautiful as Asgard but much smaller, and they’re tall and graceful; some of them, though not all, even have golden-tinted hair. They also share many physical characteristics with both Asgardians and Midgardians, except they have pointed ears.” Running his fingers slowly over her own soft hair, he smiled. “I’m surprised that I didn’t notice the striking resemblance you share with your ancestors when we first met; I suppose it’s because your short stature distracted me.”

“I’m not _short_ , Loki!” She pulled away slightly to glare up at him, a small amused smile playing on the corner of her lips as she tried her hardest to look imposing. “But compared to everyone else in this tower, I suppose I’m slightly…vertically challenged.”

Loki burst into laughter. “Yes, that’s one way of putting it!” Still chuckling, he looked down at her narrowed eyes and grinned. “Oh, don’t be cross, if not for your diminutive height you would never have stumbled in the library and we never would have met!”

(Y/N)’s red-rimmed eyes softened and she smiled warmly up at him, causing his stomach to flutter not-unpleasantly. “Well, I guess when you put it that way…I’m sorry about ruining your shirt; I don’t usually break down like that…”

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, Lady (Y/N). Besides, as your best friend, it’s my duty and privilege to comfort you in times of-” He was interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling. “Would you allow me to accompany you to the kitchens for some lunch? Or I could go fetch us some food and bring it here, if you prefer?”

Her eyes shone with gratitude behind her smudged glasses. “Lunch in here sounds wonderful, actually. Thank you.”

“In that case, I’ll return shortly with sustenance!” He pulled away from her with slight reluctance and made his way to the kitchens. In the ten months he had been on Midgard, Loki had managed to perfect the art of cooking, much to the surprise of the others. He attempted to teach Thor once, but after a catastrophe involving a haywire toaster, an electrified Mjolnir and a fire extinguisher, he vowed never to repeat _that_ mistake again. Recalling that (Y/N) enjoyed macaroni and cheese, he went about assembling the ingredients and preparing the dish from memory. Just as he spooned the cheesy noodles into two bowls, Steve entered the kitchen. “Oh, hello Steve.”

“Hey Loki, how’s (Y/N) doing?” The super soldier opened the refrigerator and withdrew a carton of juice. “J.A.R.V.I.S. told me you’ve been in her room all morning.”

Loki sighed, his attention focused on the dishes he was cleaning by magic. “I believe that Lady (Y/N) is feeling better; she was upset because today’s the anniversary of her aunt’s death…”

Steve nodded, a somber look on his face. “…and she didn’t tell us because she didn’t wanna bother us with her grief. You know, she’s gotta be one of the most selfless people I’ve met since I came out of the ice.”

“Yes, she’s a remarkable woman, isn’t she?” He smiled to himself but stopped when he noticed Steve smirking at him. “What?”

The super soldier’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “You _like_ her, don’t you?”

The dishes Loki had been levitating splashed back down into the kitchen sink. “No, I…that’s absolutely…o-of course not, we’re only friends…” Groaning, he rubbed his temples and sighed in defeat. “Is it _that_ obvious?”

“No, but I recognize that look you just had on your face; it’s the same one I would see in the mirror whenever I thought about…” His smugness turned to sorrow for a brief moment before he gave him a genuine smile. “Well, I’m happy for you, Loki. You deserve someone like (Y/N).”

Loki only frowned and avoided Steve’s eyes, making the dishes in the sink dry and put themselves away. “I’m not quite sure about that.” Before the other man could question him, he continued. “Can I trust that you won’t share this information with anyone else, especially Lady (Y/N)?”

Steve nodded, his brow wrinkling in confusion. “Yeah, of course, but why-?” Just then, Thor entered the kitchen with Mjolnir in hand. “Oh, hey Thor.”

“And that’s my cue to leave; as fun as they are to watch, I don’t wish to be a part of yet another of your kitchen tantrums, brother.” Grabbing both bowls of macaroni, he hurriedly left the kitchen and smirked when Thor began cursing the brand-new toaster. His mirth suddenly left him as he recalled Steve’s kind words: _“You deserve someone like (Y/N).”_

The truth was that he’d done absolutely nothing in his life to deserve the love of a woman such as her. (Y/N) was a goddess, full of kindness and bravery and strength and beauty, and she deserved someone just as good as she was. Loki had done too much evil in his life to deserve love, no matter how desperately he craved it. Sure, he was working with the Avengers to protect Midgard and the entire universe, but one good deed couldn’t undo countless bad ones, even if…even if he was _persuaded_ to commit some of them in the first place. And that wasn’t even considering his Jotun heritage, which he’d yet to share with her…so, he simply had to live with the hard truth that he could never act on the romantic feelings he harbored for his best friend.

Easier said than done, unfortunately, he thought as he stepped into the elevator. He was trying and failing to forget the wonderful feeling of holding her in his arms, the intoxicating scent of her lilac shampoo, how _right_ it felt as he stared into her dazzling (Y/E/C) eyes and how he wished for nothing more than to kiss her perfect lips and declare his true feelings for her.

With a sigh, he stepped out of the elevator and used his foot to nudge her door open. “Lunch is served, Lady (Y/N)!”

She looked up from her photo album and smiled. “Mmm, mac and cheese; thank you, Loki!” Accepting the bowl from him, she ate a spoonful and sighed in satisfaction. “You know, you’re going to have to teach me how to cook like this one day.”

“It would be my honor, so long as we hold our lessons whenever Thor is out of the tower; I refuse to be involved in destroying all of the kitchen appliances again.” They both chuckled and ate in silence for a moment. “After lunch, would you like to read, or perhaps watch a film?”

So, when they finished eating, the two of them made themselves comfortable on the couch and watched a film adaptation of _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. Although it was his favorite Shakespearean play, he couldn’t seem to focus on it; all he could think about was the fact that after living for so long, he had finally found what he suspected to be love but he could do nothing but pine away from a distance. Just like Helena, he thought sadly, watching the woman in question despair over her unrequited love and feeling his heart clench with sympathy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

_June 10 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

The sound of the arrow hitting the edge of the bullseye was overshadowed by the loud applause filling the cavernous weapons training room. Grinning triumphantly, (Y/N) lowered her bow and headed over to the two figures standing near the doorway.

“Nice job, (Y/L/N)! You’re comin’ along pretty good!” Clint patted her on the back, a playful smirk on his face. “Not as good as me, obviously, but pretty good.”

Natasha gave him a small shove. “Clint, be nice!” He only giggled to himself and she gave (Y/N) a kind smile. “You’re doing really well, (Y/N). Maybe you could replace this idiot as the team’s resident archer someday.” Over the past couple of months, the two women had slowly gotten to know one another; Natasha was almost always away on missions but whenever she was free, they bonded over their training sessions and their statuses as the only female Avengers on the team.

(Y/N) chuckled. “That’s okay, I’ll let Hawkeye here keep his job; besides, I have a feeling I’ll be even more comfortable with a sword than a bow.” She set her bow back on the weapons rack and picked up a familiar blade. The hilt was decorated with intricately designed etchings, and it felt perfectly balanced in her hand; Loki, with Bruce’s help, had created it for her in the lab, explaining that it would be better to learn swordsmanship with a well-matched blade and that it would be easier to create one rather than search for the perfect fit. It really does feel natural, she thought with a smile, easily twirling the sword around in her hand. “Do either of you know when Loki’s coming down for practice?”

“Nope, haven’t seen him since breakfast.” Checking his watch, Clint’s eyes widened almost comically. “ _Shit_ , we’re late for that meeting, Tasha, Fury’s gonna kick our asses! We’ll see you later, (Y/L/N)!” He grabbed Natasha’s arm and began dragging her out of the room.

“Good luck with your first sword fighting lesson, (Y/N)!” Natasha called over her shoulder as she and Clint left and sprinted down the hall, desperate not to be reprimanded by Director Fury yet again. “Ow, quit trying to pull my arm out of its socket, asshat!”

Giggling, (Y/N) wandered around the room and occasionally swung her sword, silently enjoying the sounds it made as it cut through the air. She was excited when Loki and Steve told her she’d begin training with a bow and sword; she’d never told anyone before, but guns made her nervous and she was glad she’d never have to use one. And she couldn’t help but feel that learning to use the weapons of her mother’s culture would bring her closer to her somehow, but she was too embarrassed to say it aloud. The others might scoff at her sentimentality, but she knew that Loki would never do that.

At the thought of her best friend, she sighed in frustration and began pacing around the room with more purpose. It was becoming harder and harder to suppress her feelings for him, especially after he helped her through that horrible day two weeks prior, but she was determined not to lose the fight for their friendship. Shifting his focus from romantic literature to mystery novels certainly helped; it was easier to set her feelings aside as he read aloud from novels such as _The Hound of Baskerville_ than when he read aloud from ones like _Sense and Sensibility._ Maybe I should have him read Mary Shelly next, she thought with an amused smile, that’ll _really_ calm the romantic thoughts.

But just as she reached the opposite side of the room, an unsettling feeling put her senses on high alert. Quickly spinning around, she brought her sword up just in time to meet her attacker’s blade with a reverberating _clang._

“Your senses are improving, Lady (Y/N),” Loki grinned, pushing her blade away with his own and stepping back. “I’m impressed.”

Before she could reply, he swung his sword at her abdomen and she was quick to clumsily swipe the attack away and block his next from clipping her shoulder. “I thought we were having a formal lesson today?”

Her best friend shrugged as they started to circle one another. “We were, but I concluded that unlike magic, swordplay doesn’t need to be taught formally. You have generations of Light Elf blood flowing through your veins, which means that you already possess a natural skill with swords; besides, I feel that using weapons takes considerably less concentration and caution that using magic.”

“Oh, I don’t know, if I wasn’t concentrating right now I’d never realize that you’re only trying to distract me.” She suddenly raised her sword and swung, but Loki disappeared as soon as the blade made contact with his; a heartbeat later, the cool edge of a training knife was at her throat and a sword-wielding arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her securely against a strong form. “Clever, Loki…”

“My brother isn’t the only Asgardian-trained warrior in this tower, you know.” His warm breath tickled the side of her neck, and (Y/N) swore she could feel his nose nuzzle into her hair while her heart fluttered in her chest. “Now, try and break free of-”

Before he could finish his sentence, she elbowed him hard in the stomach and used his surprise to duck under his loosened arm, quickly straightening and parring away his fast sword strike. “You mean like that?”

“Precisely,” Loki sheathed the dagger and twirled his sword in his hand, an amused gleam in his green eyes. “Now, let’s see what else you can do.”

For the next half hour, they were at a stalemate; neither of them had been able to disarm or knock the other down, no matter how hard they tried, but (Y/N) knew she was tiring. Her strikes were becoming slower, it was becoming much harder to dodge his attacks, and she had a nasty feeling that Loki would quickly take advantage of her weakness at any minute. In desperation, she parried his sword away and swung hers at his head, but she immediately regretted her action; Loki easily blocked the strike and used his sword to twist hers out of her hand. It landed on the ground with a loud _clang_ , and before she could reach for it, he kicked her leg out from under her and she landed harshly on her back. A moment later, he was hovering above her, one hand pinning both of hers above her head and the other holding his sword to her throat. The sounds of their heavy breathing filled the silence of the room, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but giggle in equal amounts of amusement and embarrassment.

“Well, it looks as though you’ve won fair and square, Loki. I’d shake your hand, but they’re a little preoccupied at the moment.”

Loki’s triumphant grin widened at her joke. “Your apology is accepted, Lady (Y/N), though I personally prefer your hands right where they are.” When she gave him a questioning look, he continued. “Now I can finally enact my revenge upon you for your heinous crime. You know which one, of course.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened and she began struggling against him. “L-Loki, I told you, it was a complete accident, Steve and Bucky were there, they’ll tell you the exact same thing…!”

“I’m not quite sure that I believe your story; you’re telling me that the other day at dinner, you _accidentally_ tripped over Steve’s foot, you _accidentally_ fell on me and you _accidentally_ began tickling me? You have to admit, it doesn’t sound very convincing.”

She tried in vain not to smile guiltily as he spoke. The truth was that she was curious whether the Asgardian was ticklish or not, so when she noticed Steve’s foot sticking out from under the table she decided to test out her theory. It turned out that the Asgardian _did_ make the same sounds as the Pillsbury Dough-Boy when tickled, just as she suspected. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about, Loki!”

“Lady (Y/N), you should know by now not to lie to the God of Mischief.”

In one quick movement, he tossed his sword to the side and attacked her stomach with his free hand. She shrieked with laughter, tears rolling down her cheeks as she squirmed under him. She felt his hold on her wrists loosening, so she hurriedly tugged a hand free and began tickling him back. As expected, he laughed loudly, the cheerful sound mingling with hers and echoing off the walls as they rolled across the floor.

“Miss (Y/L/N), is something-? Oh man…”

They immediately stopped, Loki quickly rolling off her and helping her back on her feet when they noticed a familiar figure standing in the doorway. “Hello Peter, um, Loki and I were just…practicing our sword fighting.” (Y/N) blushed scarlet, embarrassed at having been caught in such a compromising position by the fifteen-year-old.

“Yeah, um…sorry if I interrupted you guys, I’ll…just…come back later, I guess.” Peter Parker’s eyes were flicking nervously between her and his black Converse sneakers, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans and a light blush spreading over his ears.

“Actually, I need to…I need to speak to my brother about our, um, mission tomorrow. I’ll see you later, Lady (Y/N).” After she murmured her goodbye, he gave Peter a nod as he brushed past him and left, his usually pale face turning more and more crimson by the minute.

(Y/N) picked up their swords and placed them back on the weapons rack. “So, what can I do for you, Peter?” During her two months in the tower, she’d only spoken to the teenager once and that was when Tony briefly introduced them; the billionaire had infuriatingly introduced her as ‘Galadriel, but if Galadriel was a total book nerd,’ something he was extremely lucky he said when Loki wasn’t around to hear. The teenager was in awe of her magic and heritage, and she was equally impressed with his incredible knowledge of math and science and how he applied his skills to his intriguing powers.

Peter shuffled from foot to foot and briefly made eye contact with her. “Well, I-I was just talkin’ with Doctor Banner and he mentioned you used to be a librarian before joining the Avengers, and…I was wondering if you could help me write my final paper for my English class?”

“Of course, I’d love to!” She led him out of the weapons room and down the hall to the elevator. “What’s the topic of the paper?”

They stepped into the elevator. “That’s actually what I’m having trouble with. We were supposed to read _The Great Gatsby,_ but I never got a chance to, and now we have to come up with our own topic and finish the essay by Friday, and I’ve got absolutely nothin’.” He sighed and slumped against the wall of the elevator as it rose. “I understand if you’re too busy training for a mission or something, I know it’s a lot to ask but it’s worth like twenty-five percent of my final grade…”

“It’s okay, Peter, I said I’d help you; I haven’t been assigned a mission yet, so my schedule’s wide open.” The doors opened and she led him down the hall to the dining room table next to the kitchen. “Besides, I loved helping people with papers when I was a librarian, and it’ll be nice to continue using that college degree I paid a lot of money for.” Peter laughed and sat down next to her. “All right, since you haven’t read the book and you only have two days to write this essay, I’ll start by giving you a short summary…”

(Y/N) had absolutely no idea how long she spoke for; explaining the plot of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous novel reminded her of how much she missed being a librarian. Not that she regretted joining the Avengers, of course, she just missed being able to use her extensive knowledge of literature to help people. She was glad to see Peter listening with rapt attention, and he even pulled a notebook out of his backpack and began taking notes while she continued. By the time she was finished, he was looking more relaxed than ever.

“Thank you _so_ much, Miss (Y/L/N), that really helped!” He flicked through his notes one last time before turning to a blank page. “I think I’ll write about Daisy; she sounds like a pretty interesting character.”

“You’re welcome, Peter, but promise me you’ll try not to procrastinate next semester? It’s just that it’s so much easier to finish assignments well before the due date…”

Peter grinned. “I know, I know, Aunt May always tells me that! And I didn’t mean to procrastinate this much, it’s just that I suck at English and me and Mister Stark have been workin’ on my new suit a lot and, well, I guess I just got distracted.”

She smiled, but the wheels in her head began turning. “It’s okay, everyone has that one subject they struggle with and everyone gets distracted from time to time. I’m going to go get cleaned up and change, and I expect to see an introduction written by the time I get back, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” He chuckled and turned his attention back to his notebook.

(Y/N) took a quick shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a green blouse, quickly toweling off her damp hair before hurrying down to the lab. Just as she suspected, Tony was there, snacking and chatting away with Bruce as the doctor peered into a microscope. Taking a deep breath, (Y/N) opened the door and entered.

“Hello Bruce, Tony.”

“Oh, hi (Y/N),” Bruce looked up and smiled, whereas Tony only rolled his eyes and continued eating his blueberries. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m actually here to speak with Tony, if that’s all right,” Both men looked at each other in surprise and she turned her attention to the billionaire as Bruce quietly excused himself. “Tony, I know that we got off on the wrong foot when we met and I’m not going to apologize for turning you down when you asked me out, but I _am_ sorry if I’ve been rude to you ever since.”

Tony sighed, popping another blueberry into his mouth before answering. “Well, I’d be an asshat if I didn’t try and follow that up, so I’m sorry for being rude too. Now that that’s over, can we get back to work?”

(Y/N) gritted her teeth but remained calm. “That’s not all I came down here for; I just spent over an hour helping Peter write a final paper for school that’s due in two days. He told me that the reason he didn’t write it sooner was because he’s been too busy working on his new suit down here with you. Is that true?”

“Yeah, so what’s your point?”

“My point is that since Peter listens to you, you should remind him that his education is very important. If he continues putting Spider-Man before his schoolwork, he’s not going to have a future.”

The older man only sighed. “Of course he will; when he decides he doesn’t wanna be Spider-Man, he can always have a job at Stark Enterprises.”

“And what if he doesn’t want a job with your company? What if he decided down the road that he wants to be a lawyer or a firefighter or a photographer? Without an education, he’d never be able to live the life he wants!” Realizing that she was speaking loudly, she took another deep breath and adjusted her glasses. “Tony, all I’m asking you to do is help him be a normal high schooler for as long as possible. I’m not saying you should take his suit away and forbid him from being Spider-Man next semester, just…let him be able to study for tests or hang out with his friends or go out on dates. Just try to help him find the balance his duties between being a high schooler and being Spider-Man.”

Tony only raised his brow and smirked. “Why’re you being so pushy about this, Hermione Granger? Is it ‘cause you’re trying to live vicariously through him? Let him experience the things that you never did?”

(Y/N) felt her anger beginning to build up inside her. “This has absolutely nothing to do with me, Tony, this is about making sure you don’t ruin his life in the long run. Need I remind you that not everyone is as privileged as you are and can make mistakes in life without there being consequences?”

“And need I remind _you_ that if not for my ‘privileges,’ there’d be no Avengers and you’d be stuck in a Hydra lab somewhere being experimented on?”

“Are you going to talk to him or not?”

Tony shook his head, an unusually serious look on his face. “Parker can do whatever he wants to do. It’s his life.”

She nodded, her jaw clenched tightly. “Fine, then, I’ll go and speak to Steve about it.” Giving the man one last glare, she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

“You know, you’re starting to sound _exactly_ like your boyfriend did when he tried to take over the world. Must be an alien thing…”

Without a moment of thought, (Y/N) turned around and thrust out her hands, her anger finally boiling over. A familiar purple aura surrounded Tony as she used her powers to swiftly lift him into the air and slam him into the wall behind him. Her unfiltered fury kept him in place, and she was sure to keep his mouth magically shut so he was unable to call out to J.A.R.V.I.S. for his suit. “Don’t you _dare_ speak about Loki! He’s doing everything he can to make up for what he did, and maybe if you started caring about other people besides yourself you’d realize that!”

“(Y/N)!” Bruce appeared in front of her after running in from the hall, his hands raised in a submissive gesture. “(Y/N), you need to listen to me!” When she made no move to attack him, he slowly inched forward. “I need you to breathe, can you do that for me, (Y/N)? Take a deep breath and just relax, find control over your powers!”

(Y/N) struggled to control her breathing as she listened to his words, but just when she felt her muscles and powers begin to relax, Tony stretched his fingers and pressed a button on the metal bracelet he wore. One of his security suits burst through its storage container and aimed its repulsor beams at her; without a second thought, she allowed Tony to fall to the ground in a heap and thrust her hands towards the suit, effectively knocking it into the opposite wall with a swirling cloud of purple magic before it could fire. The suit immediately got up and just as Bruce shouted “No!” it shot its repulsor beams directly at her. Acting on instinct, she pushed Bruce out of the way and crossed her forearms in front of her, deflecting the beams and making them ricochet off her magic and back towards the suit, causing it to explode in a ball of fire.

The entire room shook violently with tremors and the ceiling began to tremble; panicking, (Y/N) thrust her hands upwards and concentrated on stabilizing the concrete with her magic. After a tense moment, the ceiling tremors began to calm down and stop altogether, which was when she realized that the emergency sprinklers were on and the lab was filling up with dark smoke as the fire alarms blared. Where’s Tony and Bruce, she thought, coughing as she stumbled through the wrecked lab in search of the two men.

“Bruce! Tony!” She called out, her voice shaking with worry. “Bruce! To-!” A hand on her arm caused her to turn and gasp; standing before her was a soaked and worried but unharmed Bruce Banner. “Bruce, thank goodness you’re all right!”

“C’mon, I already got Tony, we need to get out of here!” Bruce grabbed her hand and quickly led her through the smoke and smoldering remains of Tony’s suit to the exit. When they finally got out of the lab, the doctor slammed the door behind them and leaned heavily against the wall. It was then when (Y/N) noticed that Tony was laying on the ground, his chest heaving as his eyes stayed focused on the ceiling, and that there was a distinct green tinge to Bruce’s jugular that was slowly fading away.

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“…Fury’s gonna be pissed, isn’t he?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Director Fury looked up from the security footage on his computer monitor with a disapproving frown on his face. After rushing up to the lab and having them thoroughly checked for injuries, Director Fury ‘requested’ (Y/N), Bruce and Tony join him in his office several floors below; (Y/N), who had only ever spoken to the director once before when she first joined the Avengers, was scared out of her mind, something she was sure Bruce knew when he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. She felt guilty that she lost control over her powers and scared of what her punishment would be; she didn’t want to be kicked off the Avengers team all because she’d risen to Tony’s childish bait. I wish Loki were here, she thought as she pulled the blanket the firemen had given her tighter around her shoulders for comfort.

“So, you’re telling me that several S.H.I.E.L.D experiments were compromised, thousands of dollars’ worth of _our_ equipment was destroyed, the Hulk was nearly unleashed and an entire floor of your tower is temporarily condemned all because you couldn’t put a sock in it, Stark?”

Tony smirked. “Sounds about right.”

Deciding she needed to speak up for the billionaire, (Y/N) quietly said, “It’s not all his fault, Director. I went to the lab and asked Tony to speak to Peter about how important his schoolwork is when I should’ve spoken directly to Steve instead. And it was me who lost control and destroyed the lab in the first place, not him.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Miss (Y/L/N), but I’m not pissed off about you losing your cool or even about you two destroying the lab; I’m pissed off because your guys’ petty arguing’s keeping you all from functioning as the team _I believe you can be_.” Director Fury stood and leaned against his desk. “Now, Doctor Banner and I are gonna leave to check in with the clean-up, and if this stupid-ass fighting isn’t resolved by the time we come back…well, let’s just say that you’re not gonna like the consequences.” The director gave them one last glare and gestured for Bruce to follow him into the hall; the doctor flashed them a sympathetic look before leaving, and (Y/N) flinched as the door slammed shut.

The billionaire lounged casually in his chair, twirling a small screwdriver around his fingers over and over as he made fleeting eye contact with her; he looked sincerer than she’d ever seen him before. “I, ah, guess I should apologize…I’ve been treating you kind of unfairly over the past few months and saying some harsh things, and I’m really sorry about that…”

“Then why say them in the first place?”

His fingers stilled as he looked down at them, remaining silent for several moments before answering. “I guess it’s ‘cause I didn’t like the fact that you’re such good friends with Reindeer G – I mean – Loki.”

His answer took her by surprise. “Why not?”

The older man looked out the window and smiled humorlessly. “Well, for starters, the guy tried to take over the world with a hostile alien army and is responsible for the deaths of _at least_ eighty people over two days, not to mention he threw me out a window and I…well, my heart stopped when I came out of that wormhole and I would’ve been a goner of not for the enormous green rage monster out there. Can you really blame me for not wanting to become best buddies with him or anyone who actually likes him?”

“Yes, I can, at least a little bit.” She ignored the confused look on his face and continued. “Loki’s here on Earth to make up for everything he did; he joined the Avengers, the people he was once sworn enemies with, of his _own free will_ to do good. Loki’s my best friend and I believe wholeheartedly that he deserves a chance to redeem himself for what he’s done, just like Natasha and Bucky. Everyone else in this tower has put the past behind them and accepted him as their teammate except you, Tony. I’m sorry about what happened to you during the battle, I really am, but you can’t change what happened in the past so it’s pointless to keep hyper-focusing in it.”

“I think Capsicle’s been rubbing off on you, (Y/L/N); that was some speech,” Tony chuckled, then grew serious. “But you’re right; I haven’t given either of you a fair chance.”

(Y/N) nodded. “And I’m really sorry I lost control and said those things earlier, it was wrong of me to say them. You’re not a selfish person, Tony, and it’s unfair to degrade you because you happen to be more well-off than most, it’s not your-”

“It’s okay; seriously, I was _definitely_ asking to be talked to like that. And don’t worry, I’ll speak to Peter about balancing being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and a high schooler; Banner’s been bugging me about it, too.” His usual grin returned. “So, can we agree to start over and maybe be friends from now on? ‘Cause you actually seem like a pretty cool person to be around, (Y/L/N).”

“I think I can agree to that, Tony.” She accepted his outstretched hand and shook it, a cheerful smile finally making its way across her face. Not the way I expected this day to go, she thought to herself, but I’m glad we’ve finally made up.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Director Fury and Bruce. “Great, now we all can get back to work. Except for you, Miss (Y/L/N), I want a private word.” Without wasting a moment, Tony and Bruce left the two of them alone. (Y/N)’s hands began to shake, so she started tugging at the sides of her blanket again to keep them occupied. “I believe congratulations are in order, Miss (Y/L/N).”

“C-congratulations?”

Director Fury made his way over to his chair and sat. “You showed real control over your powers today.”

Frowning, (Y/N) stopped fiddling with the edge of her blanket. “But Director, I almost killed Tony, a-and what about almost unleashing the Hulk and all the damage…?”

“The key word there is ‘almost’. Sure, your emotions clouded your judgement, but you were able to reign in your powers and stop yourself from doing anything too serious.” The director’s eye twinkled slightly. “In my book, that’s something that deserves a congratulation and not guilt, Miss (Y/L/N). Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose so, Director.”

Director Fury nodded. “Good. And as for the damages, Stark has more than enough money to fix them within a day, this time with even stronger fortifications. Now, you’d better go change clothes before you catch a cold; we wouldn’t want one of our newest Avengers getting sick, would we?”

Blushing, (Y/N) stood and smiled shyly at the director. “O-of course not, Director. Thank you.” She quickly left the office as he returned to the paperwork on his desk, hardly believing what had just happened; she’d been _absolutely_ convinced that she’d be kicked off the team for her actions. It was kind of Director Fury to give me another chance, and I don’t intend on throwing it away, she thought with determination, hurrying down the hall to the elevator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“To make a long story short, you lost control over your magic, regained control with the help of Doctor Banner before you could kill Stark, destroyed one of Stark’s suits in self-defense and stopped the ceiling from collapsing on all three of you, correct?” Loki asked, his lips already curving into a proud smile. Only minutes before, (Y/N) had found her best friend in a fit of rage and the only thing keeping him from confronting Tony himself was Mjolnir resting on his lap; the moment she entered his suite, however, he ceased arguing with Thor and immediately asked her if she was all right.

Despite her best efforts not to see too far into his actions, his obvious concern over her well-being caused her heart to flutter and her cheeks to redden, but she was quick to hide her feelings by giving him and Thor the full story of what happened; all they knew of the incident was that her and Tony’s argument led to an explosion in the lab, so Loki had immediately assumed Tony was at fault and went into a rage. Luckily Thor had enough foresight to prevent him from doing anything too serious, she thought to herself.

Nodding, (Y/N) relaxed her aching muscles against the cushions of the couch. “Correct, and Tony and I had a good talk. I think we’re going to get along from now on.”

Loki nodded, directing his attention to his brother and gesturing to the hammer. “Now, can you _please_ remove this infernal thing from my lap? I promise I won’t go after Stark.” Although his face was relaxed, she could see a glint of anger return to his emerald-green eyes so she quickly laced her fingers through his slightly colder ones. He looked at her in surprise and the anger seemed to melt away the longer he stared into her eyes. “I swear on our friendship, Lady (Y/N), that I won’t harm Stark in any way.” He glanced back at Thor with a brow raised in expectation. “ _Now_ will you move it?”

“All right, all right, don’t get your cape in a twist, brother,” Thor chuckled, standing from his armchair and easily picking up Mjolnir. “I’ll go and see if Banner and Stark require assistance in cleaning up the laboratory. Again, I’m relieved you’re unharmed, Lady (Y/N).” He gave her what he apparently thought was a gentle pat on the shoulder and left before he could see her nearly topple off the sofa.

Rolling his eyes, Loki helped her right herself. “Such a brute, honestly.” He glanced down at their intertwined fingers as his face once again grew serious. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Well, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t feel guilty about losing control…”

To her surprise, Loki’s face broke out into a bemused grin. “You Midgardians are so odd; you pen sayings such as ‘to err is human’, and yet you always blame yourselves for your mistakes. It’s perfectly acceptable to make errors, Lady (Y/N), and you should be extremely proud of the fact that you managed to rectify yours so easily. Trust me, as someone who has fought against _and_ alongside Doctor Banner, regaining control over oneself is no easy feat.”

“You sound exactly like Director Fury, you know, but you’re right.” (Y/N) elbowed him playfully in the side and grinned when he suppressed a giggle.

“Is it really wise of you to begin this again, Lady (Y/N)?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re brave enough to do anything ab-” She was cut off when she was struck on the side of the head by a throw pillow.

Loki burst into laughter, clutching his sides and his pillow tightly as he looked at her. “You should see your face!” He choked out between breaths. “You look like-!”

At that moment, (Y/N) grabbed another pillow and smacked it against his face, giggling at his stunned expression and mussed hair as she adjusted her crooked glasses. “You were saying?”

“Um, Miss (Y/L/N)?” They both hastily lowered their raised pillows and looked at the doorway where Peter Parker stood, once again as red as a tomato, holding his notebook. “I-I, um, need some help on my body paragraphs…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

_June 27 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

If Loki had known how horrible his day was going to be, he never would’ve bothered getting out of bed that morning. It had started out perfectly fine; he, (Y/N), Thor and Sam had shared breakfast together, and he was in a good enough mood to help Thor regale the two Midgardians with some of the adventures they shared while growing up on Asgard.

After breakfast, the others left to train while he joined Steve and Clint for their previous day’s mission debriefing with Director Fury. Although nearly everyone else in the tower was at ease around Loki, Clint Barton was not one of them. Loki couldn’t exactly blame the archer; he knew first-hand what mind control felt like and he was sorry for what he’d done, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d forcefully invaded the man’s mind. That’s not to say that Clint was rude or sarcastic to him, just wary, so naturally things were awkward whenever they were in the same room together for too long.

And then on top of that, Director Fury spent the majority of the debriefing reprimanding Loki for his actions during the mission. According to the director, throwing a car through a building was “too dangerous”, completely disregarding the fact that his actions saved countless civilian lives and led to the apprehension of several higher-level Hydra agents. His love for (Y/N) was the only thing keeping Loki from completely losing his temper with Director Fury, and after the debriefing concluded, he hurried to the kitchens for some much-needed chocolate; during his nearly year-long stay on Midgard, he’d come to discover that one of the only things that never failed to cheer him up was chocolate. But when he’d arrived at the kitchens, he quickly discovered that his secret stash of sweets was missing, and his anger only grew from there.

He eventually made his way to the tower’s gymnasium, hoping that talking to (Y/N) would help brighten his spirits, but he was met with a particularly unwelcomed sight: (Y/N), giggling and smiling as she sparred with none other than Sergeant Barnes. The handsome super soldier was telling her jokes as they fought, causing Loki’s heart to painfully lurch with every burst of laughter from the pair.

Seeing (Y/N) look so happy with another man caused jealousy to blossom within Loki and only solidified his belief that he was unworthy of his best friend’s love. Barnes was a better man than Loki could ever hope to be, and (Y/N) deserved to be with someone like him. And even if by some miracle Loki was somehow worthy of her love, he feared rejection and the loss of the only friend he truly had if she didn’t return his feelings. There’s no point in staying here and torturing yourself, Loki thought dejectedly as he quickly left the gymnasium and stormed down the hall.

“Hey Loki, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! I need your opinion on something.” Loki looked up to see Steve, his sketchbook clutched tightly in his hands. Biting back a snarky retort, he nodded and allowed the super soldier to continue. “Tony’s got me working on some design sketches for (Y/N)’s uniform, and I can’t decide whether it should have a coat or a cape, like yours and Thor’s.” He offered Loki the sketchbook to look at. Once again, Loki was amazed with Steve’s talent for drawing as he examined the two sketches of (Y/N) in uniform. Both depicted her wearing a long-sleeved, black and purple leather bodysuit and knee-high boots, much like Natasha’s stealth suit, but Steve had incorporated sliver gauntlets and armbands along with a sheath for her sword and pieces of black leather-covered armor, making the uniform seem more Asgardian and Alfheimian than Midgardian. The only difference between the two sketches was that in the first one, she was wearing a long leather coat and in the second one, she was wearing an ankle-length purple cloak with silver-toned clasps on her shoulders. Although it was simply a design sketch for her uniform, Steve had managed to capture (Y/N)’s sweet smile and the usual bright gleam in her eyes, two of the many things that Loki loved about her. “Loki? You okay?”

“Oh, um, I suppose I prefer the cloak but the coat would also be suitable for colder climates.” Avoiding eye-contact, he handed the sketchbook back. “If you’ll excuse me, I have other things to attend to-”

“I’ll walk with you; Tony’s gonna need these designs to begin working on her suit with Bruce as soon as possible.” To Loki’s annoyance, Steve walked with him down the hall to the elevator. The moment they stepped inside, however, his annoyance morphed into infuriation when the super soldier pressed the emergency stop button, halting the elevator and plunging them into semi-darkness. “Listen, I know you’re still angry about earlier and I know that Fury was being unreasonable, but-”

Loki let out a mirthless laugh. “I’m not angry about being reprimanded, Steve, I’m angry because…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words before huffing in frustration and blurting out, “Does Sergeant Barnes have romantic feelings for Lady (Y/N)?”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up almost comically and his eyes lit up with sudden realization. “Bucky? No, no, no, they’re only friends! He actually told me a few weeks ago that he’s got his eye on one of Bruce’s lab assistants; in fact, he asked me to put in a good word for him when I go down there today.” Loki let out a sigh of relief, but the heavy feeling in his heart remained. “If you like (Y/N) so much, then you should tell her how you feel…”

“Thank you, Steve, but I don’t desire to tell her anything.” Loki replied stiffly and attempted to start up the elevator again, but Steve blocked his path. “You’re trying my already-thin patience, Captain Rogers.” He growled, the anger inside him rising as his green eyes bored into blue.

The super soldier remained unfazed. “I’ll take my chances. It’s taken a while but I consider you to be a friend, Loki, and as your friend, I feel it’s my place to tell you that you’re acting like a goddamn idiot.”

“I beg your par-?”

“I’m not finished. You’re throwing away a chance at happiness by not telling (Y/N) how you feel, and-”

Loki’s fury finally boiled over. “And by remaining silent, I’m giving _her_ a chance at happiness! Lady (Y/N) deserves someone a thousand times worthier than I, someone who isn’t responsible for countless deaths in an idiotic attempt to rule an entire realm, someone who’s not descended from monsters, someone who can take care of her! I’ve done nothing in all the years I’ve been alive to deserve love, let alone the love of a goddess like her, so yes, I know very well what the consequences of my actions are!” He shouted, turning away from the other man as tears of anger and frustration prickled at his eyes.

There was only silence hanging in the air until Steve cleared his throat. “J.A.R.V.I.S., could you please play back the conversation Loki and (Y/N) had in the sickbay? The one you accidentally played for me the other day?”

“Of course, Captain Rogers.” The Artificial Intelligence replied before a familiar audio recording began to play and Loki started to recall that fateful day…

_Stirring from his restless slumber, Loki blinked his eyes open and immediately sat up when he noticed that (Y/N) was finally awake. “Lady (Y/N)! How are you feeling?”_

_“Um…all right, I guess. I just have a small headache.” She rubbed her temple and looked at him, confusion evident in her eyes. “What happened? I remember we were at the library but I think I was hallucinating because you were wearing golden armor and using magic against these men who were trying to abduct me, and for some reason, Captain America was there and then I used purple magic…did I have food poisoning or something?”_

_Loki sighed and sat back in his chair, preparing himself for her reaction. “I know that this is going to sound completely mad to you, but you didn’t have food poisoning. Everything you saw actually happened.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he couldn’t help but smile at her skepticism. “I suppose I’ll have to prove it to you.” In a golden flash, his Midgardian clothes shifted into his full Asgardian armor. “Allow me to reintroduce myself; I’m Loki, of Asgard.”_

_(Y/N)’s mouth fell open and Loki could practically see the thoughts running through her head as she finally learned of his true identity; all he could do was sit and watch cautiously, the fear of rejection clutching at his heart as she processed everything. “Okay then, I guess you’re right.” Realization dawned in her eyes. “You and your brother aren’t civilian consultants, and…wait, your brother is Thor, isn’t he? And you’re part of the Avengers?”_

_“Correct, Lady (Y/N), though technically, Thor’s only my adoptive brother. I’m terribly sorry for lying to you about my true identity…” Loki shifted his armor back to his Midgardian clothes as he looked down at his folded hands, desperately trying to hide their shaking. “I…I suppose I wanted at least one person in the universe to know me as just Loki, not as the monster that everyone else sees when they look at me; I also wanted to prevent any enemies of mine from discovering_ your _identity and harming you, but it appears that I failed in both tasks. I understand if you despise me and never want to see me again-”_

 _“Hey,” (Y/N) gently took his hand but he refused to look up. “I could never despise you, Loki, you’re my friend; my best friend, actually. What you did in the past was wrong, yes, but you’re not a monster and I believe people can be redeemed. You’re already doing a wonderful job of that; I mean, you’re working with the same heroes you were fighting against a couple of years ago, which means that you’re on the good side now. None of your enemies harmed me, because you came to my rescue before they could,” With her other hand, she rested it against his cheek and he couldn’t help but lean into her soft touch. “And I’ll always see you as just Loki, the kind and intelligent man who loves literature as much as I do but who stubbornly refuses to pick up a copy of_ The Lightning Thief _.”_

 _Loki finally looked up at her, surprised and touched at how tender her gaze was, and he was certain that she meant every word she uttered; I haven’t lost my best friend after all, he thought with an inward smile. “It’s not because I’m being_ stubborn _, I just believe that the series is overrated by you Midgardians…”_

“Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Steve spoke quietly, and Loki was suddenly brought back to reality when the recording stopped. “Do what you think is right, Loki, but it sounds like (Y/N) thinks you deserve happiness. And trust me when I say that taking a chance on love is better than never doing anything at all.” Without another word, Steve restarted the elevator and it shot upwards as they stood in silence.

Still facing away from the other man, Loki’s thoughts became jumbled as he considered the super soldier’s words. (Y/N) believed that he was a good man, despite everything he was or did; as far as he could tell, nothing had changed her opinion of him over their months of friendship. _“I could never despise you…what you did in the past was wrong, yes, but you’re not a monster and I believe people can be redeemed…I’ll always see you as just Loki, the kind and intelligent man who loves literature as much as I do…”._ Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw Steve give him one last look before exiting the elevator; that encouraging glance was the final push he needed. The only way I can possibly be worthy of her love is if I continue to be the man she already believes I am, he thought as the elevator continued to rise, his jaw set in newfound determination. It was time for the fallen Prince of Asgard to swallow his fears and tell (Y/N) of his love for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After spending an hour holed up in his room devising the perfect plan, Loki stealthily sought out the one person he needed to help him finalize and set it into motion. And to think, I used to utterly despise Thor for his womanizing skills and now they’re exactly what I require, he thought with a wry smile before entering the kitchen. Just as he suspected, his brother was leaning against the kitchen island, Mjolnir resting on the marble countertop as he enjoyed a toasted strudel Pop-Tart in solitude.

“Brother, if you can manage to tear yourself away from your food for a moment, I require your assistance with something important.”

Thor turned to look at him, his brow furrowing while he swallowed a mouthful of his snack. “Are you planning another trick? Because Lady Natasha will surely succeed in killing you if you try dying her hair again…”

Loki rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but be amused at his brother’s typical attitude. “No, Thor, it’s nothing like that…do you mind if we speak somewhere more private?” Thor cocked his head to the side but nodded and followed Loki out onto the tower’s glass balcony.

“Loki, why did you bring us out here? Is something wrong?”

“You know, the view out here is actually quite-”

“Loki…”

Sighing, Loki rested his forearms on the balcony’s glass railing and looked out at the New York City skyline. The memory of fighting Thor on that very balcony during the Battle of New York unwillingly came to mind, doing nothing to calm his suddenly-agitated nerves. “I require your assistance with a certain issue. A… _romantic_ issue.” He glanced at his brother and nearly blushed when he saw the knowing smile on his face. “What?”

Thor chuckled and leaned against the balcony next to him. “So, you’re finally going to admit your true feelings to Lady (Y/N)?” Loki nodded stiffly, bracing himself for the ridicule he was about to receive but to his surprise, it never came. “Then I shall assist you in any way I can! How do you intend on wooing her?”

“Well, Stark is hosting his annual charity ball in two weeks' time and I thought I could ask her to accompany me as – what the Midgardians call – my date. Then I’ll take her aside, admit my feelings for her and pray to the Norns that she returns them.” He looked at his brother for approval; he felt overwhelmingly grateful that Thor refrained from teasing him. Perhaps he really _has_ changed since being banished to Midgard, Loki thought. “Do…do you think it’s a worthy plan?”

Thor was practically beaming with joy. “I think Lady (Y/N) will surely be swept off her feet, and I’m confident that she returns your feelings!” When Loki frowned in confusion, Thor’s smile widened. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed her lingering glances and flushed cheeks whenever you two spend time together? How she always smiles brighter whenever you are around, and how musical her laughter is whenever you tell her a joke? Perhaps _you’re_ the dense one, brother.”

Loki’s blush deepened as he replayed Thor’s words in his head, and he couldn’t help but allow a small blossom of hope to bloom in his heart. “Yes, well, I sincerely hope that you’re right about all that. Now, as for this ball, I believe I should do something else I should’ve done long ago…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	8. Chapter 7 (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The Spanish in this chapter was translated with Google Translate, so I'm sorry if there's a mistake it it*

_Chapter Seven (Part I)_

_July 10 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

“Hurry up, (Y/L/N), your Quinjet’s gonna be leaving soon and we still have to see if your suit’s working okay!”

As Bruce scolded Tony for being too pushy, (Y/N) finished fastening her sword to her belt with quaking fingers. After three months of extensive daily training, she was finally going on her first field mission as an Avenger; according to Director Fury and Steve, she had excelled in both magical and physical training and was finally ready to put her skills to good use. (Y/N) was excited, of course, but she was also a complete nervous wreck. What if I make a mistake and put the others in danger, she asked herself for the tenth time that day. She knew how much her teammates would be counting on her on this mission, and she was terrified of such high expectations resting squarely on her shoulders.

To distract herself from the butterflies in her stomach, she looked into the floor-length mirror and examined her brand-new uniform. It reminded her of Natasha’s full-body leather suit, but there were several distinct differences; (Y/N)’s bodysuit was made of black and purple leather, it included pieces of black leather armor and matching fingerless gloves and she wore knee-high leather wedge boots, silver arm circlets and gauntlets on her forearms. A long purple cloak hung from her shoulders by silver-toned clasps, and her sheathed sword hung from her waist. She couldn’t help but smile at her reflection, her new suit making her feel just as empowered as the tower’s two resident Asgardians. Smoothing down her hair one last time, she took a deep breath and drew back the curtain separating her from the rest of the lab, causing both men to turn and gape.

Tony’s eyebrows raised and his mouth hung open almost comically. “Damn, (Y/L/N), you look…”

“Fantastic!” Bruce smiled widely.

“I was gonna say ‘badass’ but ‘fantastic’ works too.” The billionaire gestured for her to stand on a short stool before continuing. “We designed the leather of the suit to be breathable and flexible, the armor’s bullet-proof and it can even withstand extreme heat and cold to a certain degree.” Tony pointed to her silver gauntlets as he paced around her. “FYI, these were partly inspired by our little bonding incident a few weeks back, (Y/L/N), remember? They’re not vibranium like Capsicle’s shield but they’re still bullet-proof in case any get through your magic.”

(Y/N) twisted her forearms to examine the gauntlets better. “That’s amazing, Tony!” The billionaire smiled proudly at her compliment. “But, what about my glasses? I can’t wear them on missions and you guys know my eyes don’t react well to contact lenses…”

Bruce’s eyes gleamed with triumph. “That problem had us stumped for a while, but last week we finally managed invent a solution that didn’t involve cutting into your corneas with a laser.” He handed her a pair of metal-framed glasses and held her regular pair for her. “Put these on and press the button on the right side of the frame, please.”

“Oh, my goodness…” (Y/N)’s mouth fell open as she followed his instructions and examined her reflection in the mirror Bruce held up. The glasses had flickered once before turning completely invisible, making it look as if she didn’t wear glasses at all. “How did you two geniuses manage _this_?”

Both scientists looked pleased with her reaction. “Well, we just adapted the same cloaking technology that S.H.I.E.L.D. used on their helicarrier and improved upon it; anyone attacking you won’t realize you’re wearing glasses unless they sock you in the eye, which is something I’m pretty sure you’d stop from happening.”

“The lenses are bullet-proof, scratch and glare-resistant, they’re fitted so they won’t fall off and we made several pairs just in case something happens to these ones.” Bruce set down the mirror and picked up his clipboard to jot down some notes. “Now, does everything feel all right? Nothing’s too tight or too loose?”

Shaking her head, (Y/N) moved her arms and legs to be sure. “Everything feels perfect.” The moment Bruce finished writing down his notes, she jumped down from her stool and gave him a tight hug, smiling when she felt him slowly return it. “Thank you, Bruce.” She pulled away from him and gave Tony a hug, which he was much quicker to return. “And thank you too, Tony. The suit is wonderful and I feel much safer now that I have it!”

“No problem, (Y/N), we just want to make sure you’re protected when you go out there.”

“Yeah, Stevie Nicks, you should always use protection.” Tony smirked playfully as (Y/N) blushed and Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose in mild exasperation at his suggestive comment.

Just then, Natasha walked in, dressed in her standard black leather bodysuit with her hair braided over her shoulder. “Nice suit, (Y/N)! Cap wanted me to tell you that the Quinjet’s leaving in five, so you’d better hurry up.”

“Thank you, Nat, I’ll be there in a minute,” She turned back to the two men as Natasha left and grinned. “Well, wish me luck!”

Bruce gave her a smile. “Good luck, (Y/N).”

Tony’s smirk widened. “Yeah, not that you need it, though; you’re gonna kick so much ass out there in that getup.”

Chuckling lightly, (Y/N) gave them one last glance before leaving the lab; on the way to the elevator, she heard someone call her name and turned to see Loki hurrying to catch up with her. Her heart beat even faster in her chest when she noticed that he was wearing her favorite outfit: fitted black slacks and an emerald-green dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his long black hair hanging loose around his shoulders. She mentally chastised herself before saying, “Hi Loki, what are you up to?”

“I couldn’t very well let my best friend leave on her first mission without wishing her luck now, could I?” Loki flashed her a grin, but she could see the uneasiness in his eyes. “You look positively fearsome in that armor, by the way. How are you feeling?”

“Thanks, and I guess I feel a little nervous,” She said truthfully as they stepped into the elevator, knowing better than to lie to him. “I don’t want to be the one responsible for any of the others getting hurt.”

Loki gently took her hand and held it between his own as the elevator rose, making her faintly blush at the contact. “Lady (Y/N), I can assure you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Our teammates can take care of themselves, and as long as you remember all the training you’ve excelled at over these past few months, you’ll be able to protect them _and_ yourself if the need arises. Remember, everyone in this tower believes in you, but none more so than I.”

Looking into his sincere green eyes, she could feel her nervousness slowly begin to melt away and she smiled up at him. “Thank you, Loki, that really helped.”

“I’m glad I could be of assistance,” He grinned before letting go of her hand. “And please try to hurry back, I don’t think I could handle going to Stark’s charity ball tomorrow evening and watch everyone make fools of themselves by myself.”

Stark Industries hosted over a hundred charity events for dozens of different causes and organizations every year, but one of the only ones held personally by the billionaire included an annual charity ball to raise money for children’s hospitals across the country. Since the Avengers had begun using the tower as their base three years ago, the ball had become increasingly popular as more and more people were willing to donate to attend and meet the heroes. (Y/N) was excited to go and promote such a worthy cause, but she was also excited for an entirely different reason: two weeks ago, Loki had asked her to accompany him as his date. She could vividly remember the moment he’d asked her…

_“Loki? Loki, are you in there?” (Y/N) knocked on his door before sighing. “Listen, Steve told me that you haven’t been having a good day so I brought you some snacks. We can watch a movie, if you want? Trust me, nothing will cheer you up more than chocolate chip cookies and_ A Knight’s Tale _! It’s about a squire who poses as a knight and competes in jousting tourna-”_

_“What’s jousting?”_

_(Y/N) shrieked and spun around to face a laughing Loki, pressing her free hand to her chest and smiling despite herself. “Loki, that wasn’t funny! I almost had a heart attack!”_

_Loki continued to snicker. “Apologies, my lady, but I couldn’t resist the temptation.”_

_“So, I take it that you’re having a better day now?” She followed him into his room and sat in her usual place on his couch, handing him his cookies with a raised brow._

_He nodded, a cheerful look on his face. “Significantly better, actually. I suddenly remembered that Stark’s charity ball is in two weeks and that I’ll be able to enjoy it with you. That is, if you wish to accompany me…”_

_“Of course I’ll go with you, Loki, who else would I go with?” (Y/N) mirrored his bright smile before gesturing to the television across from them. “So, snacks and a movie?” As they watched_ A Knight’s Tale _, (Y/N) concluded that Loki was only asking her to accompany him as a friend; she was a little disappointed, of course, but she wasn’t going to allow her emotions to ruin a fun night for her and her best friend._

(Y/N) chuckled to herself as the memory faded; they stepped out of the elevator and walked to the floor’s glass doors. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in no time.” Before he could reply, they stepped out into the tower’s small hangar where a Quinjet was being prepared for departure on the protruding helipad.

“There you are, (Y/N), we’re almost ready to leave!” Steve called from the Quinjet’s ramp as he slung his shield onto his back and adjusted his helmet’s jaw strap.

Loki gave her a reassuring smile. “Good luck on your first mission, Lady (Y/N).” He leaned down to give her a hug but to her surprise, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and pulled her up off her feet; she giggled in surprise and he laughed, gently swaying her from side-to-side as she wrapped her arms around his neck and experienced the now-familiar fluttering in the pit of her stomach. “And please, stay safe.”

“I will, Loki, I have an important engagement tomorrow night that I can’t miss, remember?” She joked, feeling a swell of pride when he chuckled lightly. “I’ll be safe, I promise.”

He set her gently on her feet and she reluctantly pulled away from his arms, giving him one last smile before following Steve into the Quinjet. The ramp closed behind them and (Y/N) quickly strapped herself into the seat next to a familiar face as the plane lifted into the air.

“Hi Scott, I haven’t seen you in a while!” (Y/N) had met Scott Lang during her first month as an Avenger; he was in awe that she was half-Light Elf and had nearly fainted from excitement when she gave him a small demonstration of her powers, and she was equally amazed with his suit’s ability to change sizes and the way he was able to communicate with ants. He wasn’t in the tower often but whenever he was, they got along very well. “How are you? How’s Cassie doing?”

Scott smiled, a gleam in his eyes that he got whenever anyone mentioned his five-year-old daughter. “Ah, I’m good, my buddies and I just opened up our security company – we call it X-CON, get it? – and Cassie’s doing great; I helped her read through a picture-book version of _Charlotte’s Web_ and she’s been reading it all by herself for the past week!”

(Y/N) grinned, the pride in his voice filling her with happiness. “That’s wonderful, tell her I said ‘congratulations’! And congratulations to you for your company; I take it they let you come up with the name yourself?”

As the Quinjet continued to fly, (Y/N) continued talking to the energetic man, thankful that he was there to keep her mind off the nervousness surrounding her swiftly-approaching first mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, they had reached their destination: the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. Their mission was simple, to destroy a large weapons compound that was operated by a terrorist organization with known ties to Hydra. Scott would go in first and disable the nearly-impenetrable security system before splitting off with Natasha while (Y/N) and Steve stayed together; each group would then plant a batch of explosives around the vast compound. The explosives were rigged to a detonator Natasha held, but it was still imperative they get out as quickly as possible in case of any complications. Please let everything turn out all right, (Y/N) silently prayed as they trekked closer to the compound and took cover twenty yards away behind a fallen tree. The moment Steve gave him the signal, Scott pressed a button on the glove of his suit and instantly shrunk, and a moment later, the tiny outline of an ant could be seen in the fading moonlight, flying quickly towards the compound’s concrete wall.

“Don’t tell Tony, but I think your suit’s way cooler than his, Lang.” Natasha’s lips curled into a smile but her eyes continued to scan the area for any threats.

(Y/N) heard Scott’s soft chuckle through her comm link. _“Black Widow likes my suit more than Iron Man’s? Awesome.”_

“All right, you both remember the plan, right?” Steve looked up from his explosives-filled satchel and glanced at the two of them.

“We’ve been over the plan twenty times, Cap, we’re fine.” Natasha rolled her eyes but grew serious when she caught sight of (Y/N)’s face. “We’re fine, right (Y/N)?”

(Y/N) nodded once, trying to mask her nervousness with a smile. “Yeah, of course, Nat.”

_“Hey super-dudes, I just disabled the security system so come on in whenever you’re ready! But, you might wanna hurry ‘cause I have to turn it back on after one minute so they won’t get suspicious…which you already know ‘cause we went over the plan on the Quinjet. My bad. And I just realized, (Y/N), you’re the only one of us who doesn’t have a cool superhero name and that’s just not acceptable, so I’m gonna make one up for you, okay?”_

She couldn’t help but smile at Scott’s unique way of calming her jittery nerves. “Okay Scott, go ahead and make up a cool superhero name for me.”

“Time to go.” Steve pulled his shield onto his arm and gave her an encouraging smile. “We’ll be fine, (Y/N), don’t worry.” The two of them crept silently towards the compound and Steve motioned for her to get behind him before swiftly pulling the unlocked front door open. He immediately threw his shield, hitting the three surprised guards in the heads and catching it as they crumpled to the ground. Silently marveling at Steve’s impressive throwing skills, (Y/N) followed him as they continued down the vast hall.

_“Cap, (Y/N), you’ve got two armed guards heading straight towards you on your left, and a couple of others coming up from behind.”_ Natasha said, revealing that she had already reached the compound’s control room.

Steve glanced at (Y/N) and gestured for her to take the lead before turning to prepare for the attack, and she immediately knew what she had to do. Taking a deep breath and concentrating all her energy into her hands, she summoned two balls of purple magic in her palms; the moment the two men turned the corner in front of them, she thrust her hands and magic outwards, engulfing the men in swirls of purple magic and causing them to slam into each other and then into the concrete wall behind them. They hit the wall with a sickening _crunch_ and fell to the ground, unconscious. Behind her, Steve threw his shield and took out the other two guards.

Natasha chuckled through the earpiece. _“Nicely done, Bad-Ass; Scott and I are onto Phase Two, so you two are on your own. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous point when we’re done.”_

The two Avengers continued down the halls of the compound, occasionally coming across the remnants of Natasha and Scott’s handiwork but strangely no more armed men. In no time, they reached the compound’s warehouse, which was filled with hundreds of wooden crates. Weapons, (Y/N) thought as she frowned in disgust. This particular terrorist organization was responsible for half a dozen attacks around the world in recent years that had resulted in countless civilian casualties, so she had no problem with working to take them down along with Hydra.

They quickly began planting the explosives all around the vast room but just as they finished, at least two dozen armed guards burst in. Steve immediately ran into battle, but (Y/N) froze in fear, her legs unwilling to move. Time seemed to slow around her as a familiar feminine voice spoke in her head: _“Kiddo, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent…”_

You’ve spent three months training for this exact moment, (Y/N) thought to herself, now it’s time to show the world its newest Avenger. She unsheathed her sword and charged at the men; she sliced through their guns like butter before they could pull the triggers and deflected their knife attacks with ease, twirling and ducking around them and using their slowness to her advantage as she slashed at them. She was vaguely aware of Steve fighting nearby but she was entirely focused on her task of incapacitating her attackers. Her luck left her, however, when she kicked an attacker to the ground; the last man standing took her by surprise then with a hard punch to the stomach and wrenched her arm behind her back, causing her to gasp in pain and drop her sword.

“No eres tan dura ahora, ¿verdad, perra?” The man growled into her ear as he pointed a knife to her chest, its tip puncturing the exposed skin along her collarbone.

“Todavía no has visto nada.” She replied, elbowing him hard in the stomach and ducking under his arm as he doubled over in pain. Rolling out of the way, she picked up her fallen sword and raised it just in time to block his knife attack; she countered it by twisting the knife out of his hands and slamming the hilt of her sword against his head. Her attacker fell to the ground like a stone, unconscious.

Breathing heavily, (Y/N) looked around for Steve and saw that he was locked in combat with a larger man. She was about to hurry to his aid when she caught sight of a sniper crouching atop a tower of crates and pointing a rifle at Steve’s unaware back. Without a moment of thought, she sheathed her sword and ran into the line of fire just as the sniper pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow down and she could practically see the bullet flying through the air; raising both her hands and summoning her magic, she was rewarded with the sight of the bullet ricocheting away and a millisecond later, the sight of the sniper being engulfed in a swirling purple cloud and thrown roughly against the wall before falling to the ground.

She turned to see Steve standing over his defeated attacker, a stunned expression on his face. (Y/N) only breathed a sigh of relief, her pride and relief overtaking her earlier nervousness.

_“Wait, you speak Spanish?”_

Scott’s legitimately confused tone causing her to stifle a smile. “Yes, Scott, I speak _some_ Spanish. A little French, as well.”

_“As much as I’d love to learn more about Trilingual (Y/N), we’ve got a mission to finish. Scott and I are already at the rendezvous-”_

Just then, the unmistakable sounds of thundering footsteps echoed from the hall; it sounded as if nearly fifty heavily-armed men were approaching, all heading right for them. When they turned to look through the small window of the door, they could clearly make out the bazookas the first several men held in their arms as they approached. They plan on sacrificing their weapons and their lives just to kill us, she thought with a horrified gasp.

(Y/N) quickly used her magic to keep the door barred and whirled around to face Steve, an undoubtedly insane plan coming to mind. “Nat, you have the detonator. Press the button when I tell you to.”

_“But you and Steve are still in there!”_

“Nat, if we don’t blow this place to hell right now, then they’ll be the ones to do it! Besides,” Steve’s confident blue eyes never left hers as he gave her an encouraging nod. “(Y/N) has a plan.”

Natasha remained silent for several moments. _“All right, tell me when.”_

_“I really hope your crazy idea works, (Y/N), or else you two are gonna be toast.”_

Hurrying to the center of the warehouse, (Y/N) knelt, pulling Steve down with her, and held her arms up above their heads; she was grateful that the super soldier wrapped an arm around her waist and raised his shield as a precaution, as things were about to become much shakier. Summoning every ounce of strength and power she could without passing out, she created a swirling bubble of purple magic to fully surround them. I love you, Loki, she thought just before shouting out, “Now!”

Explosions went off around them and caused the earth to quake, enormous balls of fire to expand across the room and the warehouse to begin crumbling away around them. To her great relief, her magical force-field held, deflecting the fire and debris and keeping the air inside fresh, but her arms began to shake with effort. All of a sudden, it felt as if she was lifting an immeasurable weight but she continued to hold her magic in place despite the pain. I have to protect Steve, I have to protect Steve, she repeated in her head, gritting her teeth and concentrating all her remaining energy on her magic. That last bit of effort did the trick; yelling in pain, magic pulsed outwards from the force field, vaporizing everything within fifty feet of them and extinguishing the blazing fires. She collapsed against Steve and struggled to remain conscious, the force field surrounding them finally fading away; they both immediately began coughing as their lungs filled with smoky air.

“C’mon (Y/N), stay with me,” Wasting no time, Steve stood and pulled her into his arms, quickly carrying her through the thick smoke and towards the distant tree line. “I’ve got you, can you stay awake for me? Stay awake, (Y/N), we’re almost there, just keep your eyes open…”

She opened her mouth to respond but could only violently cough; after blacking out for what only felt like a moment, she blinked her eyes open and realized that they were back on the Quinjet and already in the air. Her head was resting in Steve’s lap, and Natasha and Scott were leaning over her; all three of them had equally concerned expressions on their faces. “(Y/N)! Thank God you’re okay!”

(Y/N) swallowed thickly and looked up at all three beaming Avengers. “Did…did we finish the mission? Who’s flying the Quinjet?”

“Don’t worry, I put it on autopilot and yeah,” Natasha nodded, a proud smile stretching across her face. “Yeah, we finished the mission all thanks to you, Bad-Ass. Seriously, what you did was _fucking_ amazing, (Y/N).”

Steve grinned; he had taken off his helmet while she was unconscious, and the parts of his face that hadn’t been covered were streaked with soot. “Not too shabby for your first mission, doll.”

“And while you were off being awesome, I came up with the perfect superhero name for you,” Scott grinned triumphantly before continuing. “How about ‘The Cosmic Sorceress?’ ‘Cause based off what Captain America here told us and what we saw ourselves, you showed a lot of bad guys that you’re a scary-ass force to be reckoned with, and bad-assery like that deserves a name to match.”

(Y/N) thought for a moment, a smile slowly stretching across her face as she looked up at her fellow Avengers. “You know what? I love it, Scott.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish Translations:  
> No eres tan dura ahora, ¿verdad, perra?-You're not so tough now, are you bitch?  
> Todavía no has visto nada-You haven't seen anything yet.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	9. Chapter 7 (Part II)

_Chapter Seven (Part II)_

_July 11 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

At her teammates’ insistence, (Y/N) slept during the entire two-hour long flight back to New York. Although she’d pushed her magic to its limit, she was able to recover a little during her rest, and the only lasting injuries she had was a bruised right arm and a small scratch on her collarbone. I suppose everyone was right, she thought as she staggered out of the Quinjet, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. She was able to use all the skills she’d spent months honing to complete the mission _and_ protect her teammates, and that accomplishment filled her with pride. But the danger of the mission gave her pause; if she hadn’t been able to hold the magical force-field, she would’ve died without telling Loki how she felt about him. So, the moment she stepped foot on the Avengers Tower helipad, she decided to forget about repressing her feelings and try to admit to them that night at the charity ball.

“I’ve convinced Fury to wait until tomorrow morning to hold a mission debriefing, so make sure you guys keep from drinking too much tonight, okay?”

Natasha snorted as the three of them stepped into the elevator. “Do what you want, Cap, but I’m gonna celebrate with a hell of a lot of vodka martinis and deal with both Fury _and_ the hangover in the morning. What about you two, gonna try and drink Thor under the table tonight?”

Scott laughed as Steve sighed in exasperation. “As fun as that would be, I’m gonna stay in tonight and Skype Cassie; I promised that I’d read her a bedtime story. Send me pics of anyone who tries, though, I could use ‘em as blackmail!”

“And I’m also sorry to disappoint, but I’m not much of a drinker. Did you still want to get ready together, Nat?” The moment they’d learned about the charity ball, the spy had promised to help (Y/N) with her hair and in return, (Y/N) had offered up her makeup skills.

Nodding, Natasha stretched her arms out in front of her. “Of course, I’ll meet you in your room as soon as I take a shower and a quick power-nap.” She looked over at Steve with a mischievous smile. “Now, what does it take to get the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan to give a shoulder rub?”

“Have a good Skype call with Cassie, Scott! And I’ll see you two later!” Quickly giving Scott a hug, (Y/N) ducked out of the elevator when it reached her floor, hiding her giggle behind her hand as she replayed Natasha’s flirtatious words and Steve’s embarrassed blush in her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re gonna tell Loki how you feel tonight, aren’t you?”

(Y/N) quickly looked up from her drying nails at the spy, her mouth hanging open in shock. “What are you…I don’t…how long have you known?”

Natasha grinned as she curled her own hair with a hot iron. “Only for a few weeks, ever since Parker let slip your guys’ tickle fight in the weapons room. And don’t worry, I swore him to secrecy so no one else knows.”

“Well, thank you for that…” Giving her nails a final look-over, (Y/N) rose from her vanity and went to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The sun was beginning to set, illuminating the city skyline with sharp colors of orange and red. “Am I doing the right thing by telling him? I don’t want to ruin our friendship if he doesn’t feel the same, but…”

The spy paused her work to stand beside her. “You’ll never know how he feels unless you say something.”

“But I don’t have much of a chance, Nat, he’s practically a god-”

“-who would be extremely lucky to be with a woman only half as wonderful as you are. You took a risk earlier today when you saved Steve’s life in that warehouse; admitting your true feelings takes the same amount of courage that I _know_ you’ve got inside you.”

(Y/N) glanced at Natasha, grateful tears beginning to prickle behind her eyes as her heart filled with newfound hope. “Thanks, Nat. You’re a wonderful friend, you know.”

“So I’ve been told,” She joked, but her eyes shone with appreciation. “Now, let’s do something about that hair of yours…”

An hour later, (Y/N) and Natasha stood in front of her mirror and admired their handiwork. Natasha had decided to wear a black gown; it was off the shoulders and had a tasteful slit up the side, and her vivid red hair was curled and hanging loose, but styled away from her face. Her makeup brought out the different flecks of color her eyes, and her only piece of jewelry was a small ruby pendant hanging off a silver chain.

After their discussion about Loki, Natasha had insisted upon making some slight changes to (Y/N)’s outfit. [Her gown](https://pin.it/7MItQLw), a long spaghetti-strapped lavender number with a tight-fitting bust and a billowing chiffon skirt, now accentuated her bare shoulders with the addition of flowing wisps of material over her upper arms and the sweetheart neckline revealed just a hint more of her chest with a few carefully-placed safety pins. Natasha had styled her hair perfectly so that it complemented her features and dress without being over-the-top and a sparkling diamond necklace that Tony leant her rested against her collarbones and matching earrings hung off her ears; luckily, the necklace hid the worst of her earlier knife injury.

Natasha adjusted (Y/N)’s glasses and brushed a stray hair away from her face before facing their reflections in the mirror. “You look _beautiful_ , (Y/N); Loki’s gonna be blown away when he sees you!”

“Thanks, and you look beautiful too, Nat! Come on, we don’t want to be late and make the others think we ditched them…”

Back when Tony renovated the tower after the Battle of New York, he’d had the entire top floor converted into a grand ballroom complete a large staircase, a spacious dancefloor and an elegantly designed bar in the back; the billionaire wasn’t too fond of hosting parties on their private floors so he decided to designate the entire top floor as his official guest level. I think Tony was feeling particularly dramatic when he designed the top floor, (Y/N) thought with an absentminded smile, tapping the toe of her silver kitten heels in nervous anticipation. The elevator door opened to reveal the hallway outside of the ballroom where Steve stood waiting, dressed impeccably in a classic black tuxedo.

The super soldier’s eyes widened and he smiled when he caught sight of them. “You both look amazing! Seriously, no one’s gonna pay attention to the rest of us with you two here.”

“Uh-huh, says Captain America himself,” Natasha snickered. “Do you remember that one chick from last year? The one who nearly jumped on your-”

“ _Yes_ , and I’d rather not re-live that experience again, thank you. We should probably head in,” Steve blushed at her words and fiddled with the cuff of his jacket sleeve. “Loki told me that he’d meet you here in a few minutes, (Y/N), he’s just finishing up getting ready.”

When (Y/N) acknowledged his words, he allowed Natasha to clutch his arm as they entered the din-filled ballroom. Suddenly feeling nervous again, (Y/N) began pacing the floor and wringing her hands, the butterflies in her stomach only increasing the longer she waited. She thought back on Natasha’s words and concentrated on her breathing, which seemed to help slow her heart beat but it immediately picked up when the elevator doors slid open to reveal a slightly different Loki than the one she was used to.

The first thing (Y/N) noticed was his hair; it seemed that after she’d left on her mission, Loki had gotten a haircut. His hair no longer brushed past his shoulders, nor was it as severely gelled back as it used to be; instead, his hair was shorter and slightly curly. Not too short, as it still hung below his ears but definitely fuller than she’d ever seen it before. When she was finally able to tear her eyes away from his shortened locks, she realized that he, like Steve, had opted to wear a classic tuxedo and it fit him perfectly; it accentuated his towering height and his trim build, and it was clear that he felt extremely comfortable wearing it.

Loki looked up from the floor and while her heart nearly melted at the shy grin he gave her, she was struck once again by how incredibly handsome it made him look. “You look exquisite, Lady (Y/N).” Stepping out of the elevator, he gently took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles. His darker-than-usual emerald-green eyes roamed over her body before meeting hers, and they glimmered with an unknown yet intense emotion: possibly awe? “Truly exquisite.”

(Y/N) smiled shyly and looked up at him. “You don’t look too shabby yourself, you know. And your hair looks _amazing_!”

Loki shrugged noncommittally at her compliment, although his cheeks were tinted with red. “Well, Sergeant Barnes spoke about wanting one last week and it got me thinking…I’ve been on Midgard for a while now and it was time for a new look, a fresh start if you will. So, he and I went together to get one.” He offered her his arm and another dazzling smile. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” She allowed him to lead her into the ballroom and down the grand staircase as she took everything in. The room was filled to the brim with elegantly dressed men and women, and (Y/N) could make out the faint music of the orchestra over the buzz of conversation. Scanning the crowd, she caught sight of Sam and Bucky, sporting the same shortened hairstyle that he wore back in the 1940’s, talking to two awestruck young women, Thor loudly regaling a story to a small group of guests as he drank from his flask of Asgardian ale, and Bruce speaking enthusiastically to an older couple as Clint stood next to him and tried not to look too bored. “So, um, are we supposed to mingle with the guests at events like these?”

Loki snorted in amusement as he led her around the edge of the room. “I’ve certainly never done so.” When she arched a confused eyebrow at him, he continued. “These Midgardians, they claim to be altruistic yet the only thing prompting them to donate a sliver of their vast quantities of wealth to children in need is the possibility of meeting us, their ‘celebrities.’ It’s deplorable, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never actually thought about it that way before, but…yeah, I suppose it is. Although, I still think we should be grateful that their money’s going to children’s hospitals to do some good.” They finally reached a secluded part of the ballroom. “You know, you haven’t even asked me how my first mission went.”

“Well, I can assume it went well since you’re standing here before me.” He laughed as she glared at him, his hands raised in a defensive gesture. “I’m just teasing, Lady (Y/N), no need to get angry. How was it?”

(Y/N) regaled him with the entire story of the mission; his eyes were constantly focused on hers as he paid rapt attention to her words. He smiled proudly whenever she spoke about using her magic or her swordsmanship and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes when she told him of her more-deadly attacker; when she told him of her minor injuries, he insisted on seeing them. She suppressed a shudder and used every ounce of her self-control to keep her facial expressions neutral as he carefully trailed his cool fingertips across her right arm’s bruise and upwards to the scratch on her collarbone. At this rate, I’ll end up blurting out my feelings right before running away to throw up, she thought with mild frustration at her jittery nerves.

“Hold still for just a moment, please.” Loki checked to make sure no one was watching before hovering one hand over her collarbone. A light green glow emitted from his palm and she felt his magic tingling against her skin as her injury healed itself. “There, all better. I’m sorry that I can’t heal your bruise…”

“That’s okay, Loki. I never knew you had healing magic.”

He laughed lightly as she raised her eyebrow. “There’s many things you don’t know about me, Lady (Y/N). Unfortunately, my brand of magic can only heal minor injuries but I’ll gladly try teaching you how to do it if you wish.”

“I’d love that…” (Y/N)’s breath caught in her throat as Loki’s lowering hand brushed against her warm skin, and she realized suddenly how close together they were standing; her gaze subconsciously flicked down from his eyes to his incredibly soft-looking lips.

Luckily, Tony stepped up to the orchestra’s bandstand and began his speech before she could say or do anything too disastrous, so they had no choice but to turn their attention to the billionaire. To (Y/N)’s pleasure, Tony’s speech focused entirely on the charity’s various ways of providing for the children’s hospitals and diligently avoided any mention of the Avengers; that is, until the very end as the guests’ applause died down.

“And before we get to the dancing and the schmoozing, I on behalf of my teammates wish to congratulate The Cosmic Sorceress on becoming our newest official Avenger today!” A large hologram of (Y/N) in her uniform – her sword held aloft, her purple magic swirling around her free hand and her body tensed for battle – appeared next to Tony. The entire ballroom erupted into applause as (Y/N)’s eyes widened in surprise at his announcement. “I know she’s around here somewhere so if you see her tonight, be sure to wish our Cosmic Sorceress the best of luck. Now, c’mon, let’s get this party started!” The orchestra struck up their instruments again and began to play a fast-paced waltz as people started to dance.

Loki arched an eyebrow. “The Cosmic Sorceress?”

“It was Scott’s idea; he was a little miffed that I didn’t have a superhero name like everyone else so he came up with Cosmic Sorceress during the mission.”

“Well, I’ll have to congratulate the Ant-Man the next time I see him; the nickname suits you.” He glanced across the room where Tony was speaking with several older men. “And as much as Stark tries my patience, I cannot help but admire how he’s matured recently…perhaps all he needed was a good thrashing from you to sort out his priorities…”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and attempted to suppress her amused smile as Loki snickered. “You know, sometimes I think that your rivalry with Tony is just as ridiculous as Sam and Bucky’s…” Just as she spoke, she looked to her left to see the two men in question attempting to flirt with the same woman while throwing each other the dirtiest of looks. “…well, maybe it’s not _that_ ridiculous…”

“Yes, well, I’m also considerably more mature than they are.” Loki’s chuckles died off and he paused hesitantly before asking, “Would you care to dance, Lady (Y/N)?”

She quickly turned around to face him, immediately noticing the hand he held out for her to take and the pounding of her own heart. “I’d love to, but I should warn you now that I’m not very good at it.”

Loki’s tentative smile brightened. “Well, I give you my word as a Prince of Asgard and your best friend that I won’t complain if you step on my toes…well, I’ll only _marginally_ complain…”

Laughing, (Y/N) placed her hand in his and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor. She couldn’t help but beam when Loki gave her a bow and she reciprocated with a wobbly curtsy; he clasped her hand in his and gently placed his other on her curve of her waist as she rested hers on his shoulder, and she looked up into his emerald-green eyes as they began to waltz. Loki twirled them expertly around the floor and she surprised herself by managing to keep up with his fast steps and refraining from treading on his toes.

“You were being modest earlier, Lady (Y/N),” He held her at arms-length and twirled her back to him, causing her dress to billow around her legs as she spun. “You’re an excellent dancer.”

“Thank you, my aunt and I once took a ballroom dance class together when I was a teenager but I’m not nearly as good as you are. Whoever taught you to dance must _really_ be an expert!”

Loki chuckled in agreement. “That would be my mother; I still remember standing atop her feet and dancing the first dance of every ball with her when I was a child, and as I grew up, she always insisted on opening each ball by dancing with me.” His eyes took on a fond gleam as he spoke of his mother. “She used to say that it was Asgardian tradition and that she could never find a partner as talented as I.”

(Y/N) smiled warmly up at him while they continued to twirl around the other dancing couples. “I know that I’ve said it before, Loki, but your mother sounds wonderful. I’d love to meet her one day…and ask her if she has any embarrassing stories of you as a child, of course.”

“Knowing my mother, she would adore you and immediately begin recounting dozens of tales of my childhood for your entertainment.”

Her cheeks flushed at his words and his eyes glimmered with mischief; suddenly, he placed both of his hands on her waist and lifted, twirling her in a circle several times as she yelped in surprise and setting her down as gently as he could. When he straightened, he pulled her even closer to him as they moved around the dance floor. Looking up into his eyes and once again losing herself in their beauty and expressiveness, (Y/N) found herself opening her mouth and uttering the words she had been dying to say for months: “I love you.”

Loki froze on the spot, his eyes widening in shock. “What?”

“I…I’m…” The longer (Y/N) looked up at his face, the surer she was that he didn’t share the same feelings for her. With her heart plummeting in her chest, she pulled away from his arms and stepped back. “I’m sorry, please forget that I said anything…I-I’m so sorry…” She turned on her heel and ran through the crowd of dancers, desperately trying to get away from her unrequited love. She was faintly aware of her friends and teammates calling after her as she dashed past them but nothing was going to make her stop. I’m such an idiot, she thought, tears beginning to prickle at her eyes. The signs that she’d led herself to see simply weren’t there, and her worst fear of having ruined their friendship had finally come true. She knew that it was impossible to avoid the situation forever, but she wanted nothing more than to do just that, at least for the rest of the night.

(Y/N)’s chiffon skirt caught under the toe of her shoe as she hurried up the grand staircase and she would have toppled forward if not for a pair of familiar arms securing themselves around her waist and pulling her up. Turning around, she pushed against Loki’s chest in an effort to release his hold on her. “Please, Loki, just forget that I said anything at all, it doesn’t matter anyways, just please let me go…” She quietly sobbed, desperately trying to pull out of his iron grip as tears streamed down her cheeks. Because of where they stood on the stairs, his face was level with hers and the realization only made her more frantic to get away.

“I promise you that I’ll do as you say but please answer one question: did you really and truly mean it?”

The seriousness of his tone caused her to look into his eyes and she was surprised to see how desperate they looked. “I…y-yes, Loki, I did, now could you-”

“I love you too.”

It was (Y/N)’s turn to be shocked as she stopped struggling. “What?”

Loki swallowed nervously before continuing, “I’m in love with you. From the moment I befriended you, I knew that only one woman in all the realms could hold my heart, and that’s you. Your strength and intelligence, your wit and your kindness and your immeasurable beauty have bewitched me entirely and although I could never possibly warrant the love of a goddess such as you, I would die a thousand deaths if it meant I could rule just a corner of your heart for a mere day. Please believe me when I say that I love you, my darling (Y/N), with everything that I am and more.”

A moment of silence overcame them as (Y/N) slowly absorbed his words; after replaying them several times in her head to make sure she didn’t imagine them and searching his emerald eyes for sincerity, she didn’t hesitate in slowly leaning forward and pressing her forehead against his.

She swallowed hard and murmured, “Please?” with the quietest of voices and Loki exhaled a “Yes” with an equally timid voice and eyes filled with desire. Their breaths mingled together and her eyes slid shut as she tentatively brushed her lips against his. He responded almost immediately, kissing her softly and sweetly as he pulled her closer to him. Her hands briefly cupped his cheeks before threading themselves into his shortened hair and one of his hands slowly trailed up her spine to support the back of her neck as his other gently rested on the curve of her waist. Time suddenly stopped and they were in their own world; he kissed her tenderly and her heart thrilled at the wonderfully dizzying sensation of his lips on hers. After what felt like an eternity for (Y/N), they finally broke apart from their first kiss and gasped for air. He loves me, she thought in disbelief as she slowly opened her eyes, he actually loves me.

Loki was grinning broadly and (Y/N)’s own smile stretched wide across her face as she said, “I love you, Loki. I love the kind, intelligent and handsome man who allowed me to befriend him all those months ago at the library and who saved me in more ways than one. I love you, and I know you’re practically a god and I’m just-”

“Did you not just hear me declare that you’re a goddess among women? You could have your pick of any man in the universe, yet you fall for the broken and monstrous Prince of Asgard…”

She chuckled lightly. “I only see that kind, intelligent and handsome man I was just telling you about, and trust me, it would be an honor to introduce you to him one day.”

“I must’ve died and gone to Valhalla because this couldn’t possibly be real.” Loki whispered softly, tearing up slightly as he looked at her with absolute wonder and gently wiped her own tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

Grinning mischievously, she quickly tickled his side with her fingers, giggling as he yelped in surprise. “Does that prove that you’re alive?”

“By the Norns, I love you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” Loki laughed and flashed her another grin before dipping her low and kissing her with more intensity than before, supporting her lower back with one hand and resting the other on her hip as their lips moved together in perfect synch.

At the sound of applause, though, they quickly pulled apart and Loki helped right her. As the rest of the ballroom continued on as if nothing had happened, their friends and teammates stood together at the base of the staircase. Tony was leaning against the stone banister and filming the entire thing on his phone with a smug grin on his face while Bruce smiled warmly and clapped next to him, Natasha and Clint were standing arm-in-arm and cheering, Sam was slipping Bucky a twenty-dollar bill as they both clapped loudly, and Thor was loudly offering them his congratulations as Steve smiled knowingly and dodged the Asgardian’s overexcited arm movements. As they all hurried up the stairs to them, Loki’s eyes met hers and he grinned; their fingers gently intertwined as he took her hand and brought it up to his lips to reverently kiss her knuckles. What could I possibly have done to deserve all this, (Y/N) wondered, still in a happy daze as she looked into the emerald-green eyes of her love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	10. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

_July 31 st, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

As the morning sunlight filled the kitchen, Thor entered with an annoyingly bright grin on his face and boomed, “Good morning, brother! How are you this bright morning?”

Loki scowled at the Asgardian and turned his attention back to the dozen eggs he was scrambling. “Could you _please_ refrain from shouting so early in the morning? Some people haven’t properly woken up yet.”

Thor chuckled unabashedly and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Apologies, Loki, I forgot that you haven’t yet had your morning caffeinated beverage. You know, I believe it was you who used to condemn the Midgardians for their obsession with coffee and now you yourself cannot live without the drink.”

“Yes, well, I suppose the Midgardian’s obsession is warranted for something so delicious.” Turning off the stove, Loki dished up a plate with food and set it on the table before pouring himself a mug of coffee and sitting. He sipped his hot drink and watched with equal amounts of amusement and disgust as Thor piled his plate with heaping servings of food. “I know that it’s challenging for you, brother, but could you please save some food for (Y/N)?”

“Of course! Speaking of Lady (Y/N), don’t you have special plans with her for today?” Thor asked as he sat at the table and began to dig into his breakfast.

Thor’s knowing grin and raised eyebrows caused Loki to flush slightly as he ate. “Yes, in fact, we’re going to spend the afternoon in the city. She’s taking me on what the Midgardians call a ‘date,’ but she refuses to tell me what we’re doing and claims that it’s a surprise.”

“Ah, well, women are complicated creatures no matter which realm they’re from…”

Looking up from his plate, Loki shot Thor a mischievous smirk. “As you’re well-aware of, brother. Tell me, how fares Lady Jane these days? Has she forgiven you yet for not contacting her in over two years?”

“Well, ah…” The blushing Asgardian was saved from answering by the arrival Bucky and Clint, who he immediately began conversing with.

Disinterested in their exchange, Loki returned to his breakfast and began pondering his fledgling romantic relationship with (Y/N). After confessing their love for one another the night of the charity ball, he’d immediately asked to court her and was greatly relieved when she agreed; for three weeks now, the two of them were what the Midgardians called ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ and Loki was the happiest he’d ever been in his long life. It would be nice if I knew what (Y/N) was planning, though, he thought to himself as he quietly sipped his coffee, or even what a date truly entails here on Midgard.

“You’re worried, aren’t you?” He looked up in surprise to meet the eyes of the archer across from him. Thor and Bucky were deep in conversation about something at the other end of the table, but Clint’s voice was lowered all the same. “Nat told me before she left on her mission last night that you and (Y/L/N) were gonna spend the day in the city, and I can tell that you’re worried about it.”

“Worried? I believe you’re mistaken, Barton, I feel perfectly fine. What do I have to be worried about?” Loki lied easily, unsure of why the archer was speaking to him. Unless they were on a mission together, the two men usually gave each other their own space.

Clint actually chuckled. “You’re worried ‘cause you don’t know what to do or how to act on a date.”

“Well…you’re not wrong, I suppose…very perceptive of you, _Hawkeye._ ”

“Why’re you so nervous, anyhow? You’re, like, a thousand years old; haven’t you ever been in a relationship before?”

“Actually, I haven’t. I’ve _been_ with others before, of course, but…” Loki began fiddling with his fork as he repressed the memories of Thor’s flirtatious nature and how jealous he’d been of his brother for his many admirers. “…On Asgard, my brother was favored over myself, so yes, my relationship with (Y/N) is my first real one.”

The archer looked a little surprised, but he was quick to his emotions behind what Loki perceived to be a kindhearted smile. “Well, you know how you act when you and (Y/L/N) always hang out and read together and stuff?” Loki slowly nodded and Clint continued. “That’s how you act on a date; you just be yourself, the person she fell in love with. You know, you’re lucky that you two were friends before starting a relationship ‘cause now you won’t be tempted to pretend to be someone you’re not just to impress her.”

Loki slowly started to smile. “Many thanks for the advice, Barton, but why-?” Loki cut himself off and looked down awkwardly before continuing. “It’s kind of you to help me after everything I did to you.”

“Well…it took a long time for me to get over the whole mind-control thing,” Clint snorted in amusement. “A _really_ long time, actually, but you’ve been working really hard to redeem yourself and after seeing first-hand how much you’ve changed since meeting (Y/L/N)...well, it’s clear that she’s helped you become a better person.”

Nodding, Loki looked up from his plate and smiled at his sincere words. “Thank you, Barton. And, ah, while we’re on the subject, did you happen to find out where (Y/N) is taking me today?”

The archer laughed. “Man, I’m good but not _that_ good. Nat didn’t tell me and I didn’t bug her about it; she’s still a little pissed at me for putting salt in her coffee the other morning so I didn’t wanna push my luck…”

“Brother!” Both men turned to look at the Asgardian and super soldier. “Sergeant Barnes and I need you to settle a matter for us!” Thor exclaimed.

Bucky rolled his eyes, a playful smirk on his lips as he ran a hand through his short hair. “Yeah, Loki, your brother here seems to think that he could beat my metal arm in an arm-wrestling match and we need you as a referee.”

Mirroring Bucky’s eye-roll, Loki turned his chair to face them. “Apparently, you seem to have forgotten that you and Sergeant Barnes already held an arm-wrestling match a month ago after the charity ball that resulted in a stalemate and a broken table…then again, you drank like an Einherjar on pay-day that evening so your forgetfulness is warranted.” Bucky and Clint laughed while Thor shrugged shamelessly. “Very well, start your contest so I can finish my breakfast in peace…”

Five minutes later, the contenders were at another stalemate as Bucky’s metal arm withstood Thor’s incredible strength and the table creaked with the increased pressure. At that point, Clint had already left with a granola bar, claiming that he’d rather listen to Bruce give a five-hour lecture on gamma rays than stick around to watch their pointless arm-wrestling match, and Loki was looking on with obvious boredom as he continued to eat his breakfast. He still never knows when to quit, he thought with another eye-roll as he observed his brother grit his teeth in annoyance while he strained to move the super soldier’s metal arm.

“Good morning, guys!” (Y/N) entered the kitchen and went about dishing herself up some breakfast. The way the sunlight streaming through the window illuminated her figure and the beautiful smile she flashed Loki as she poured herself a glass of orange juice was enough to cause his boredom to instantly evaporate.

“Good morning!” Bucky and Thor chimed together without taking their eyes off each other. “What’re you up to today, doll?”

She sprinkled salt over her eggs before taking her food and sitting next to Loki at the table. “Well, I need to finish up my mission report after breakfast, Sam and I have hand-to-hand combat training at noon and later on, I’m taking Loki into the city on our first date.” The super soldier grunted in response and returned his focus to his and Thor’s connected hands; (Y/N) adjusted her glasses as she turned to look at Loki. “How long has this been going on for?”

“Only about five minutes or so; it seems that Thor doesn’t remember the spectacle he and Sergeant Barnes made at the charity ball.” Loki grinned and lowered his voice. “Care to wager how long it takes them to break this table, darling? I say under two minutes.”

“This metal invention of Midgard is no match for the mighty Thor!”

“Buddy, if you couldn’t move my arm last month then you can’t move my arm today, no matter how ' _mighty'_ you think you are!”

(Y/N) laughed. “All right, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt this time; ten bucks says they break it in _over_ two minutes.” She offered him her hand to shake. “Deal?”

Loki only raised his brow, his grin widening. “I was hoping we could seal the deal in a more enjoyable way.” Before she could ask what he meant, he cupped her cheek with one hand and captured her lips with a kiss. As their lips moved together, he pulled her as close as he could and shuddered slightly as her fingers slowly threaded through his hair. Although Loki had kissed many people in his lifetime, none of their kisses could hope to compare to (Y/N)’s; despite her inexperience, her kisses were full of passion and sweetness, and they always left him desperate for more. Breaking apart for some much-needed air, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling back. “So, what plans do you have for us today?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you’ll have to wait and see.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Patience is a virtue, Loki.”

He rolled his eyes as she continued to eat her breakfast. “Can you at least give me a hint so I know what I should wear?”

“Well, _clothes_ would be ideal, wouldn’t you say?” She giggled and he couldn’t help but join in; as their laughter finally died down, the table groaned under the pressure of the two men’s arms and suddenly broke in half, collapsing to the ground in a heap but not before Loki and (Y/N) quickly used their magic to move all the plates and mugs to the kitchen counter. “J.A.R.V.I.S., how long was that?”

“One minute and forty-two seconds from the time of your bet, Miss (Y/L/N). It appears that Prince Loki has won the ten dollars.”

Loki snickered triumphantly as she cursed under her breath and reached into her pocket for the bill, and Bucky and Thor glanced over at them curiously as they sat in the middle of the wreckage. Just then, Tony walked in, still dressed in his red silk pajamas and robe, and groaned in annoyance. “If you two don’t stop breaking my damn tables, I swear I’m gonna buy one from Ikea and make you both assemble it without the instruction manual!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At precisely four o’clock in the afternoon, Loki stood outside (Y/N)’s suite and hesitated a moment before knocking on the door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal his girlfriend’s stunning figure; she’d changed into a new outfit – a light lavender summer dress, a thin white sweater and a pair of flats – and her hair was styled the way he secretly liked it. “You look beautiful, (Y/N).”

Her smile widened as she looked up at him. “Thank you, Loki, and you look _very_ handsome.” Loki made a mental note to thank Sam and Bucky for advising him on what to wear; the dark green Henley, unbuttoned black vest and black jeans were pieces of clothing that he’d never choose for himself, but based on (Y/N)’s positive reaction they seemed to do the trick.

“So, are you _finally_ going to tell me where you’re taking us this afternoon?”

“You know, I think ‘God of Dramatics’ suits you better than ‘God of Mischief,’” (Y/N) chuckled, looping her arm through his as they walked down the hall. “Our first stop is going to be a diner near Central Park for an early dinner, and the rest is still a surprise for now. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

Loki shrugged playfully, reaching up with his free hand to slip his sunglasses on. “I suppose so, but secrecy is so unusual for you, darling; you can’t expect me to _not_ be inquisitive over something so rare.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, when you realize what I have planned for us you’re going to be one stunned god…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This… ‘diner’ … is rather charming. However, it _does_ remind me of that horrendous Midgardian musical film you and Steve forced me to watch.” Loki remarked, looking around and examining all the vintage décor from their booth in a secluded corner of the restaurant while he enjoyed his cheeseburger. So far, this date is quite pleasant, he thought with a small smile. Before entering the restaurant, (Y/N) mentioned that she and her aunt would often eat there after their book club meetings and he was honored that she wanted to share such a special place with him.

(Y/N) only rolled her eyes and continued to eat. “Oh, stop pretending that you hated _Grease_ , I seem to remember you humming ‘You’re The One That I Want’ for a week straight after we watched it!” They both chuckled at the memory. “But I’m glad that you like this place. How’s your food?”

Loki sipped his chocolate milkshake and grinned. “Absolutely delicious, darling. I never knew that Midgardians could concoct such an enjoyable drink with only ice cream and chocolate!”

“You know, my aunt and I used to make milkshakes like these from scratch when I was younger,” She remarked with a fond gleam in her eyes. “It was usually on Friday afternoons, after her guitar tutoring sessions ended; I think that they were meant to be bribes, so I’d be on my best behavior and not interrupt the sessions, but Aunt Evelyn used to say, ‘The only cure for a long day’s work is a sweet treat with my sweet niece.’”

Chuckling, Loki began to devour his fries as he replied, “A wise woman, indeed. Did your aunt ever teach _you_ to play an instrument?”

“She tried teaching me guitar, but I was hopeless at it so she ended up teaching me to play the piano instead.” (Y/N) laughed a little and sipped her milkshake before continuing. “I was a pretty good pianist, too; whenever I wasn’t reading, I was practicing on Aunt Evelyn’s old antique Steinway. I’d play for hours at a time, and our neighbors wouldn’t even complain.”

“There’s a grand piano in the tower’s library, and yet I’ve never seen you play.” He noted, realization dawning on him as he watched his girlfriend’s smile falter. “You haven’t played since your aunt’s passing, have you?” (Y/N) nodded and glanced down at her half-eaten burger. I’m fairly certain that dates aren’t meant to be this melancholy, Loki thought to himself; he cleared his throat and finally broke the awkward silence. “Well, darling, if we’re discussing hidden talents then you should know that I’m an accomplished horseback rider.”

That succeeded in lightening the mood; (Y/N) looked up at him, a smile instantly brightening her face. “Really? I’ve always wanted to ride a horse!”

Her enthusiasm caused his own smile to widen. “If we ever visit Asgard I’ll teach you, then we could go riding together. I used to go riding with my stallion Samson through the forest whenever I wished to find a secluded place to practice my magic or read; once, we managed to discover a hidden grove filled with the most stunning flowers and delicious fruits. I always gave a bouquet of the flowers to my mother and a basket of the fruits to Samson whenever I’ve visited the grove.”

I haven’t seen Mother or Samson in ages, Loki thought with a small pang of sadness. Growing up in Thor’s immense shadow and under Odin’s critical gaze, he only had two comforts: Frigga and Samson, and although he preferred staying away from Asgard since his year of imprisonment in the palace dungeons, he still missed his mother and beloved steed dearly.

Panic immediately overtook him when he caught sight of (Y/N)’s pained expression and the way her fingers were rubbing her forehead. “Darling, are you all right?!”

“Brain freeze.” She squeezed her eyes closed and winced. “Urgh…”

Loki hurriedly got up and moved around the table to sit beside her, one hand cradling the side of her head while the other fumbled to get his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Dr. Banner immediately-”

“Sweetheart, it’s okay!” Looking away from his phone, Loki was surprised to see the smile on (Y/N)’s face. “A brain freeze is just what happens when a person drinks something cold too fast and agitates their sinuses for a few uncomfortable moments, it’s perfectly harmless.” His face flushed in embarrassment at his hasty actions but (Y/N) didn’t laugh or tease him; she scooted closer to him and rested a hand on his chest, her beautiful (Y/E/C) eyes looking up at him. “Your concern’s very sweet, though.”

“You know that I’ll protect you from anything, (Y/N), even these infernal ‘brain freezes.’”

(Y/N) closed the distance between them and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, the hand resting on his chest trailing up to cup the back of his neck as he kissed her back. After a moment, they broke apart and her smile only widened. “My knight in shining armor.”

Loki chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he reached over to steal one of her fries. “If you say so; I shall be content as your very-own Sir Lancelot, my lady.”

Giggling, (Y/N) glanced down at her watch and she gasped in surprise. “Oh, we should hurry or we’re going to be late!”

“Late for what?”

Grinning mischievously, (Y/N) pulled out her wallet from her purse. “You’ll find out soon enough, good knight. And don’t worry, dinner’s on me…”

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were sitting against a large oak tree in Central Park, facing a temporary stage that had been erected in the middle of a grove. Surrounding them were dozens of other people, all patiently awaiting something to begin.

“What in the name of Odin’s beard are we doing here?”

(Y/N) was practically beaming at him, her eyes glowing in the light of the setting sun. “We’re about to watch a staged production of _Much Ado About Nothing_! This acting troupe only puts on a handful of performances a year and tickets are _extremely_ difficult to get ahold of, but I had Steve help me get them months ago when I first joined the Avengers. There’s nothing as magical as seeing Shakespeare performed onstage and surrounded by nature, and I wanted to be with you for your first time...”

Loki was speechless for several moments but he finally regained enough control to pull her closer and place a passionate kiss upon her lips, pulling away to quietly say, “I love you, my darling.”

“I love you too, Loki.” She smiled warmly up at him until her attention was drawn away from him by several actors taking to the stage. “Oh, it’s starting!”

Loki’s gaze remained on her for a moment before he turned to watch the first scene begin, excitement for the play and love for the woman beside him filling his chest. I’m still not sure what I’ve done to deserve a goddess such as her, he thought as one of the actors onstage spoke the familiar first line: “I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Our first date went well, don’t you think?” Loki asked, his hand intertwined with (Y/N)’s as they stood in the tower’s elevator. (Y/N) was correct about Shakespearian plays; he was completely under the spell of the actor’s onstage as they recited the Bard’s famous work, and he wished nothing more than for their perfect night to never end. If all Midgardian dates go as wonderfully as this one then I never want to stop going on them, he thought, a content smile on his lips and a warm feeling spreading through his chest as she smiled up at him.

“Definitely.” The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. “I almost wish it wouldn’t end.”

Loki stopped in his tracks, a sudden thought causing his smile to grow. “The night’s still young, darling.” When her (Y/E/C) eyes widened in alarm, he realized what she’d misconstrued his comment for and hastily added, “No, no, no, not that! I simply wondered if you would let me show you something…it doesn’t have anything to do with…I swear, I’m not trying to seduce you…I wasn’t…” He groaned and held a hand to his head, a blush of embarrassment spreading over his cheeks. “Damnit, I’ve made a mess of things, haven’t I?”

(Y/N) giggled behind her hand, attempting to hide her amusement but failing miserably. “Of course not, Loki, it’s just nice to see _you_ so flustered for once!”

“You know, I’m not sure I want to show you anymore, you’re being quite rude…” He replied teasingly, dropping her hand and turning as if to walk away; a grin tugged at the corner of his lips when he felt her purple magic swirl around him and gently force him to turn around. “Yes?”

Standing with one hand on her hips and the other dissolving her magical hold, (Y/N) arched a brow at him and smirked. “A _thousand_ apologies, my noble prince, I _most assuredly_ spoke out of turn and _humbly_ ask that you forgive my _inexcusable_ insolence.” He laughed at her dramatics and found himself nodding through his chuckles. “Wonderful, now what’s this about showing me something?”

“Come with me.” He slipped his hand into hers and led her down the hall to the library. (Y/N)’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she followed him into the darkened room, and she smiled when he caused all the pillows and blankets in the room to pile themselves onto the floor. “Would you care to lie down with me?” She nodded and after kicking off their shoes, they clambered into the blankets together. Loki stretched out on his back, his gaze on the high ceiling, and he continued to hold (Y/N)’s hand; after envisioning what he desired to create, he raised his free hand and allowed his green magic to swirl in his palm before throwing it straight at the ceiling. Hundreds of thousands of miniscule spots of lights burst into being, spreading across the darkness and formed themselves into various shapes and illuminating the room with a faint glow. Pleased with his handiwork, Loki turned his attention from the ceiling to the woman beside him and his breath was nearly taken away. Her skin was luminescent under the light and her eyes were glimmering behind her glasses as they stayed trained on the stars. That dazzling smile of hers stretched across her lips and she suddenly turned her head to look at him. “So?”

“I love them, Loki,” She scooted closer, resting her head on his chest and allowing him to wrap an arm around her as she returned her attention to the Asgardian stars above them. “This is _definitely_ the perfect ending to the perfect day.”

They remained silent for a long time after that, simply gazing up at the multitude of stars. A distant memory of a similar evening came to Loki’s mind when his eyes landed on a familiar constellation, causing him to smile with equal amounts of amusement and sadness…

_“That constellation looks like you, Mother!” Loki exclaimed, pointing an enthusiastic finger at the star-filled Asgardian sky high above them._

_Frigga’s comforting arm wrapped itself tighter around his small body and she chuckled. “Oh, you’re too kind, my little one, but that constellation is of Lady Astrid, the most powerful sorceress the Nine Realms has ever seen. It was said that her magic was unparalleled, and that she discovered every single secret her craft had to offer. Unfortunately, her knowledge of magic has been lost over the centuries but her legacy still remains.”_

_Loki only grinned toothily as he turned to look at her. “I’m gonna learn magic like Lady Astrid one day!”_

_“But why become a sorcerer when you can become a warrior like me and Father?” Thor scoffed from Frigga’s other side. “A sword is more useful than silly magic tricks, brother!”_

_Anger filled Loki and he shot back, “Lucky for you that intelligence isn’t required to be a stupid warrior!”_

_“Boys!” Frigga’s stern tone prevented either brother from saying another word. “Being a warrior and a sorcerer require the same levels of intelligence and strength, and I don’t wish to hear either of you speak ill each other’s interests again. Understood?” They both mumbled their apologies, and she smiled patiently. “It’s natural for brothers to fight but remember that you must also love and support each other as well, my sons.”_

_“Which constellation is that one?” Thor asked after a while as he gestured to another clump of stars._

_“Ah, those are The Lovers. Legend has it that The Lovers, a princess and a palace Einherjar, shared the deepest of love, but many people attempted to keep them apart. Finally, they ran away and lived together in a secret part of the forests of Asgard. They were poor and they struggled to survive, true, but their love was the only thing that mattered to them; the legend concludes that the Norns were so touched by their devotion to one another that when they died, they immortalized the two in the stars for all time.”_

_Thor pretended to gag. “Yuck! I’m going to bed; all this talk of princesses and love is gross!” He kissed Frigga goodnight and hurried away._

_Loki kept his eyes trained on The Lovers in the sky. “I’m gonna be like the Einherjar in the story one day too, Mother.”_

_“Oh, of course you will, my darling Loki! When you grow up, you’ll meet your true love, I’m confident you will.”_

_“But how will I know when I do?”_

_Frigga’s smile widened. “You’ll look at her one day and if you cannot imagine living a single moment without being by her side…well, then you’ll know.” She pulled him closer and tickled his sides, causing him to shriek with laughter. “But don’t grow up_ too _quickly, my little one!”_

Loki was brought back to reality when he registered (Y/N)’s slow breathing; tearing his eyes away from The Lovers, he saw that she was fast asleep, her body snuggled close to his as she lightly snored. Chuckling silently, he briefly imagined waking up to her snoring every morning, wishing her ‘good morning’ before peppering her face and lips with lazy drawn-out kisses, their hands remaining intertwined throughout the night… _“You’ll look at her one day and if you cannot imagine living a single moment without being by her side…well, then you’ll know…”_ You were right, Mother, I finally became that Einherjar, Loki thought, a smile stretching across his face as he gently pulled (Y/N) closer and drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you guys so much for over a hundred kudos and thank you all for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


	11. Chapter 9 (Part I)

_Chapter Nine (Part I)_

_September 28 th, 2015_

_Avengers Tower, New York City_

“How’s the book, doll?”

Careful to not move her head too much, (Y/N) glanced up from her novel to look at Steve, who was entirely focused on sketching her from his spot on the floor of the library. The super soldier’s brow was furrowed and his blue eyes were narrowed in concentration as he hunched over his work, his pencil flying over the large sketchbook resting in his lap. During her first week in the tower while she was still getting to know everyone, Steve surprised her by asking if she could pose for him sometime and she agreed, a little flattered that he wanted to sketch her of all people. It’s nice that he finally has the free time to do this, she thought to herself, knowing how busy he’d been the past few months with his role as the leader of the Avengers. “It’s good, but I think I prefer the movie; the humor doesn’t work as well here as it does onscreen, although that may be my childhood crush on Cary Elwes talking.” She turned the page of the book. “Have you seen _The Princess Bride_ yet?”

The super soldier glanced up and nodded before resuming his drawing. “Yeah, Clint made me watch it a while ago, claimed it was the best movie ever made. It’s pretty good, but the best movie ever made’s actually _Casablanca_ ; you can’t go wrong with Bogie and Bergman.” He pulled away from his sketchbook to examine his work before swiftly returning to it. “So, how’s everything going with you and Loki?”

“Everything’s going great,” (Y/N)’s smile widened as she thought about her boyfriend and their incredible two months of dating. “He’s actually been talking about bringing me to Asgard to meet his mother…”

Steve’s brow rose and a bright smile played on his lips. “Meeting his mom, huh? Sounds like things really _are_ going great.”

“Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that. You see, Loki and Thor haven’t explicitly said anything but I’ve got a feeling that Asgard’s not very welcoming of Midgardians, so who knows what Queen Frigga will think of me…” (Y/N) chuckled lightly, but inside her emotions were swirling. After everything Loki had told her about his mother, (Y/N) was a little nervous at the prospect of meeting such an important person in his life, but she’d been sure to hide her discomfort from him; she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by making him think she didn’t want to meet the Queen of Asgard.

“I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you, doll. Just based on the way Thor and Loki talk about her, she sounds like a very kind woman and I’m sure that she’ll like you a lot. Hell, if you could get Tony Stark to like you after almost killing him, then I’m sure that the Queen of Asgard’s gonna be a piece of cake.”

(Y/N) suppressed her laughter at his words and felt herself begin to finally relax. “Thank you, Steve.”

“Don’t mention it,” Pulling away from his sketchbook to examine it once again, Steve smiled and looked up at her. “There, all done!” With an inward sigh of relief, (Y/N) set her book aside and stretched out her aching limbs. “You’re a lot tougher than the others, you know, they usually whine and complain whenever I have them pose for too long.”

(Y/N) chuckled, slowly getting to her feet and stretching her unusually sore legs; I must’ve pulled a muscle during my mission yesterday, she thought with an inward shrug. “I guess I’m just more patient than they are; ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ can take down countless Hydra agents in a single mission without breaking a sweat yet they can’t sit still long enough to be sketched…almost like puppies…”

Laughing, Steve got to his feet and closed his sketchbook. “Well, thanks for posing for me, doll, and I promise I’ll show it to you as soon as I touch it up.”

They walked side-by-side out of the library and down the hall. “I really should be thanking you, Steve; I’ve seen some of your sketches, and it’s an honor to have such a skilled artist choose me as his model.” (Y/N) grinned when he blushed at her compliment. “We should probably head to dinner; I think I heard Tony mention that Clint was making his world-famous lasagna.”

“Damnit, Sam and Bucky’ll try to hog the whole thing like last time…”

(Y/N) stopped walking, a sudden chill in the air causing her to shiver. “You go on ahead, Steve, I’m going to go and grab a sweater from my room. Save me some lasagna from those bottomless pits while I’m gone?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He flashed her a smile and hurried down the hall to the dining room as she turned and headed to her room. Just as she reached her door, however, she suddenly felt lightheaded. Black spots began dancing before her eyes and she leaned heavily against the wall; gasping for a breath, she tried to call out to J.A.R.V.I.S. for help but not a sound came out of her throat. Her knees finally gave way and she fell into unconsciousness before she hit the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Swirls of purple magic clouded (Y/N)’s vision before clearing to reveal two shadowy figures. They appeared to be a woman and a man but they vanished before she could get a good look at them; suddenly, a strangely-familiar voice echoed in her mind…_

_“She must never learn the truth of her heritage. The truth will not only destroy her, but the world as we know it…as painful as it will be for her, she must never know about her parents.” The voice waivered a little. “Goodbye, my darling (Y/N). Until we meet again in the stars…”_

“(Y/N)? Darling, can you open your eyes for me? Please?”

(Y/N) was pulled out of her deep slumber by another voice. A very distressed, yet achingly familiar, voice. With a small groan, (Y/N) slowly opened her eyes and Loki’s worried face came into view. “Loki?”

Loki’s face broke out into a relieved smile but his green eyes were still filled with concern. “Thank the Norns! How do you feel?”

“I feel fine…a little cold, I guess, but other than that…” She trailed off as she looked around the room, realizing that she was once again propped up on a bed in the tower’s sickbay. “How long was I unconscious?”

“About fifteen minutes,” Frowning to herself, (Y/N) recalled her strange dream. If she’d only been unconscious for a quarter of an hour, then it would be scientifically impossible for her to experience a dream; dreams occur during the REM cycle, usually over an hour from falling asleep. However, Loki continued on before she could say anything about it. “Romanoff and I were just returning from our mission debriefing when the Artificial Intelligence informed us all that you’d collapsed. We found you in the hall and took you down here; Doctor Banner and Stark are running some tests to determine what caused your fainting spell, they should be done any minute now…”

(Y/N) wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, trying to generate enough heat to warm herself. “I think I might’ve overexerted myself during my mission yesterday; I’ve never succeeded in making something explode with my magic before and I probably used too much energy doing it…”

The day before, she and Clint were attempting to take a suspected Hydra scientist into custody in a French hospital but were forced into a high-speed chase through the city; the chase ended suddenly when (Y/N) concentrated her magic and blew up the road in front of the scientist’s car, causing it to skid to a stop and allowing them to finally apprehend him. I suppose that arresting that Hydra scientist and seeing my magic advance so much is worth the extra exhaustion, she thought with an inward shrug.

Nodding, Loki took the blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before taking her hand in his. “I believe that as well, but it’s wise of Doctor Banner and Stark to evaluate your health just in case.” He tightened his hold on her hand as he continued, “Will you promise me that you’ll be more careful with your magic in the future? Remember, you need to stick around and force me to read that infernal _Percy Jackson_ book series.” Although his voice took on a teasing tone as he repeated her own familiar words, she could clearly see the vulnerability swirling in his eyes; she could only imagine how he’d felt, seeing her unconscious and unresponsive on the ground, and her heart clenched in her chest.

“Of course I will, sweetheart…” With a small twinge of pain to her sore muscles, (Y/N) leaned forward, cupping his cheek with her hand and pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss. Loki immediately kissed back and released her hand in favor of wrapping his arms around her and tugged her closer to him. When she pulled away, his lips followed after hers and she couldn’t help but smile. “So, does that mean you’re _finally_ going to read them?”

Chuckling, Loki pressed his forehead to hers and grinned. “Oh no, my love, I cannot be swayed that easily-” She interrupted him with another kiss, this time with more passion; running her fingers through his soft hair, she gently tugged on the ends and elicited a growl of satisfaction from him. To her pleasant surprise, Loki’s lips began trailing openmouthed kisses along her jaw and down to the skin of her neck, and she couldn’t hold back her breathless moan when she felt his teeth graze the sensitive spot just beneath her ear.

“Okay (Y/L/N), we’ve got your-geez, get a damn room, you guys!”

They broke apart and immediately noticed Tony and Bruce standing in the open doorway, Tony’s hand clamped over his eyes in disgust and Bruce smiling at the ground in mild embarrassment; (Y/N) was awkwardly holding her head in one of her hands and Loki was grinning roguishly, obviously enjoying the billionaire’s discomfort. “On Asgard, one knocks when they wish to enter a room; do they not have that custom here on Midgard?”

Tony shrugged and removed the hand from his eyes. “Takes too much effort. Hey J.A.R.V.I.S., can you let me know if people are gettin’ hot and heavy in a room I’m about to enter?”

“Of course, sir, although Prince Loki has a point about knocking…”

“Anyway,” Bruce stepped forward and glanced down at the medical charts in his hands. “We finished running some tests and it looks that you have a severe cold, most likely brought on by your over-exertion yesterday. I recommend bed rest for the next twenty-four hours to prevent any more fainting spells, and I’m prescribing some Tylenol and chicken noodle soup for the cold; no solid foods, which is perfect because Sam and Bucky managed to polish off all of Clint’s lasagna by themselves while you were unconscious.” The doctor smiled and patted her on the shoulder as Tony muttered threats against the two offenders under his breath. “You’ll be okay, just be more careful with your magic from now on, all right?”

She nodded and smiled up at him. “Thank you, Bruce, I’ll be more careful. Do I have to stay in here or can I go back to my room?”

“You can go back to your room; I’ll make sure to tell everyone that you’re okay so they can stop worrying, and I’ll speak with Director Fury about giving you some time off to recover. Take it easy, (Y/N).” With one last smile, Bruce left the room.

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned. “Well…get better, Glinda, and no playing any ‘hide-the-zucchini’ for twenty-four hours, you two…” He giggled to himself as he followed Bruce out of the room, and (Y/N) couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“So childish, isn’t-Loki, what’re you doing?!” (Y/N) gasped in surprise when Loki suddenly picked her up in his arms and scrambled to hold onto his neck as he carried her down the hall to the elevator, afraid that she might slip out of his arms and fall.

“Doctor Banner said that you needed to rest, so I’m carrying you to your room.” Loki smiled cheekily down at her as he stepped into the elevator. “I wouldn’t want you to overexert yourself by walking, my lady.”

“Oh, my savior!” She pretended to swoon in his arms and he laughed at her dramatics. The elevator shot upwards, and (Y/N) rested her head against his chest as she asked, “How was your mission?”

“Child’s play. Romanoff and I had absolutely no trouble infiltrating the meeting and collecting intel. How was your day?”

“I read a little while posing for Steve.”

Loki hummed in acknowledgement and stepped out of the elevator when it stopped. “He didn’t show you the sketch when he finished, did he?” She shook her head as they continued down the hall. “He refused to show me the sketch he did of me as well. I suspect that he’s planning a grand reveal of all the ones he’s done of everyone in the tower…thank you, darling.” He said when she opened the door of her suite for him.

“Steve sketched you?” He never mentioned anything about it before, she thought curiously.

“Yes, he did…and I’ll tell you all about it as soon as I return with your soup and medicine.” After gently setting her down on her couch, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and left the room.

Standing up, (Y/N) took a cautious step forward and when she realized she wasn’t going to fall over, she made her way to her bedroom and changed into a pair of lounge pants and a long-sleeved thermal shirt. Her muscles once-again protested while she changed clothes and she dismissed it as lingering soreness from her collapse and her previous day’s mission as she sat on the couch and stretched her legs out across the cushions. Before she could reach for the magazine sitting on her coffee table, Loki returned with two soup bowls in his hands. “That was quick; maybe I should call you ‘God of Cooking’ instead of ‘God of Mischief!’”

“In this case, darling, I’m afraid that you can’t,” After handing her a bowl and a pill bottle, Loki picked up her feet, sat down and placed them in his lap. “Stark forced Wilson and Barnes to cook it as punishment for eating all the lasagna, so you have the two of them to thank for our dinner.”

“So, what’s the story behind you posing for Steve?” (Y/N) asked, blowing on her soup before taking a cautious sip.

Loki smiled and took a sip of his own soup before answering. “Well, during my first months as an Avenger I kept mostly to myself; I stayed in my room reading the books my mother gave me and only left whenever I was assigned a mission. The others, besides Thor of course, kept their distance and never attempted to be anything more than reluctant comrades-in-arms until my second month here. The others were supposed to be out of the tower, so I decided that I wanted to take advantage of their absence and read in the library for a change. When I arrived, however, Steve was already there and busy sketching the city’s skyline. I was surprised, to say the least; I never expected the soldier to have an artistic side, so I asked him about it. He told me about his childhood dream of becoming an artist and asked me about the art on Asgard; we ended up talking for quite a while, and I wound up posing for him.” Loki smile widened, a hint of admiration in his green eyes. “He was the first Midgardian I came to respect and as I gained his trust, the others soon followed until finally, I was allowed an unaccompanied trip to the local library where I met an incredibly clumsy trainee librarian…”

“I think ‘incredibly’ is a bit of an over-exaggeration, sweetheart,” (Y/N) replied grumpily as Loki smirked. “But I’m glad that Steve gave you a chance, otherwise we may have met under very different circumstances.” She shivered slightly at her own words; she was so busy as an Avenger that it was easy to forget Hydra’s attempted abduction of her all those months ago. To distract herself from her darker thoughts, she swallowed two Tylenol pills and smiled brightly. “Anyways, it’s still pretty early; did you want to read together or maybe watch a movie?”

He gave her a disapproving frown. “You heard Doctor Banner, darling, you need your rest…” When she continued to silently stare into his green eyes, he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. “You know, those enchanting eyes of yours should be classified as deadly weapons; you wield their power as skillfully as you wield a sword.”

Grinning triumphantly, she took another sip of her soup. “Thank you, Loki, I’ll take that as a compliment.” She scooted closer to him and kissed his cheek as he smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. “How about we watch _That Thing You Do_? I was listening to the soundtrack this morning and the theme song made me think of you.”

“It’s not like that atrocious _Grease_ musical film _,_ is it?”

“I promise you that it’s better, sweetheart.”

“…Fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, (Y/N) slowly opened her eyes and smiled as she looked out her bedroom window; the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating the skyscrapers with a soft golden glow. The beautiful sight turned bittersweet as her thoughts shifted to her aunt. When she was little, her aunt would wake her up early on the weekends so they could watch the sunrise together; as they sipped on hot chocolate, the rising sun would brighten their small kitchen and instantly put the two of them in a good mood. Aunt Evelyn would’ve loved Loki, (Y/N) thought, her smile widening as she imagined the petite woman meeting the towering God of Mischief; it would’ve meant the world to her if the two most important people in her life had been able to meet.

“And Loki feels the same.” She muttered to herself, playing with the edge of her blanket as she thought about the situation. With her mind finally made up, she wrapped her arms around her pillow and continued to watch the sun light up the skyline of the city. When the sun began to shine high above the skyscrapers, there was a loud knock on her bedroom door. “Come in.” The door opened to reveal Loki, already dressed for the day and balancing a tray laden with food in one hand. “G’morning, Loki…what’s this?” She asked, sitting up in bed and putting her glasses on.

Loki grinned, setting the tray down on her lap and carefully climbing onto the bed next to her. “Breakfast in bed, of course; I wasn’t sure if you’d be feeling well enough to breakfast with the others, so I brought it to you instead.”

Smiling, (Y/N) kissed him on the cheek. “You’re amazing, sweetheart, thank you.” Egged on by her grumbling stomach, she started on her oatmeal first.

“Are you feeling any better?”

She nodded. “Yep, my muscles are still a little sore but I think my cold is gone.”

“Good, I’m glad…” Loki paused, an uncertain look on his face as his fingers fidgeted in his lap. “Darling, what would you say if I told you I asked Director Fury just now to give the both of us three weeks off?”

“Well,” (Y/N) began, suppressing her amused smile; she had a sneaking suspicion as to what he was getting at. “I’d say thank you, of course, then I’d ask you if he really agreed to that and if he did, I’d suggest that we use that time to visit your mother on Asgard. What would _you_ say to that?” She gave him a knowing glance as she sipped her orange juice.

Loki’s lips curled into an amused grin. “I’d reply that yes, Director Fury’s been impressed with our ability to do our jobs without our, and I quote, ‘sappy romantic shit getting in the way’-” (Y/N) choked a little on her orange juice and shook her head in exasperation. “I’d assure you that he’s given us three weeks off, and then I’d agree with your suggestion, of course.”

“Oh, of course,” She joked before sobering. “I know that you think she’ll love me, Loki, but to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little nervous about meeting your mother.” When Loki opened his mouth to reply, she placed a finger on his lips to silence him; the comical look of surprise on his face nearly caused her to burst out laughing but she remained composed. “ _However_ , I also know that as long as you’re with me, I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“You’re such a hopeless romantic, (Y/N),” Loki breathed before taking her face in his hands and kissing her sweetly. They parted after a moment, but he kept her close by pressing her forehead to hers. “You really are going to love Asgard, though, and I promise you that my mother will adore you just as much as I do; how could she not? You’re the kindest, most intelligent, beautiful woman in the entire universe, after all.”

“ _Now_ look at who’s the hopeless romantic.” (Y/N) teased, gently bumping his shoulder with her own as she continued eating her oatmeal. As she was finishing breakfast, Loki regaled her with talk of a rumored pranking war that was going on as a result of the hogged lasagna from the night before; I think he may need this time off more than I do, she thought pensively, watching him as he pondered aloud what clever pranks the others would come up with, a truly cheerful gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the next morning, however, things were looking significantly less cheerful. As it turned out, Thor learned of their trip and decided that he would also return to Asgard to give his quarterly report on the state of Midgard to Odin. (Y/N) didn’t have any problems with Thor accompanying them; in fact, she welcomed the presence of another friendly face on their trip, but someone else didn’t see the situation quite the same way she did.

“It’s as if I’m forbidden from visiting my home realm without being on a leash,” Loki muttered darkly under his breath as he paced along the tower’s protruding helipad, his displeasure evident in his scowl and the tension of his jaw. “Held tight by my glorified babysitter.”

“Loki, you and I both know that Thor’s not coming as a babysitter; he has a report to give and it just happens to be three months since the last one.” (Y/N) lightly scolded and continued to play with the hilt of her sword from her spot next to the glass doors. She originally decided to wear her uniform to Asgard and leave her sword in her room, but her gut told her that she might need it. Probably to break up whatever fight Loki and Thor are inevitably going to get into, she thought with a sigh as she glanced at the fully armored Asgardian before her. “So, are you going to bring your mother and Samson those flowers and fruits you told me about while we’re there?”

Just as she hoped, Loki’s mood brightened at her words. “Of course; perhaps I’ll bring you along with me when I do, but I’ll have to procure another horse and teach you to ride first.”

“I look forward to it,” She flashed him a smile as the glass doors opened and Thor emerged, also dressed in his full Asgardian armor. “Good morning, Thor!”

Thor grinned down at her. “Good morning, Lady (Y/N)! Good morning, brother!” Loki’s glare did nothing to damper the Asgardian’s good spirits. “Are you ready to depart?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Yeah, but I think the others wanted to say goodbye before we leave-”

“Keep your pants on, (Y/L/N), we’re here,” Tony quipped as he walked onto the helipad, closely followed by Steve, Natasha and Bruce. “But just so you know, I’m only here to see the _My Little Pony_ bridge, not you guys.”

Rolling her eyes as the others chortled, she gave him a hug. “Try not to get into too much trouble while we’re gone, Tony.”

“Trouble? Me?” Tony grinned when they separated. “Have a good time for me, Morgan le Fay.” He walked over to Thor and Loki and called over his shoulder to her, “Bring me back something cool!”

Steve was next; he wrapped his arms around her waist in his trademark bear-hug. “Keep your chin up, (Y/N), and you’ll knock ‘em dead.”

“Thanks Steve,” (Y/N) mirrored his bright smile and turned to Bruce. “Since you’ll be working on that new project of yours while I’m gone, I asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to remind you to take breaks for meals so promise me you’ll listen to him, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I promise,” Bruce ducked his head shyly before pulling her in for a hug. “It’s gonna be weird not having you around for a month, but you and Loki deserve a break, (Y/N). I hope you guys enjoy yourselves!”

Natasha grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the others. “Have fun, (Y/N), but keep your eyes open and your guard up; you’re dating a prince, after all.” Her lips curled into a mischievous grin. “And I wanna hear _every_ juicy detail about your trip when you get back, okay?”

“Nat!” (Y/N) exclaimed under her breath, a light blush spreading across her cheeks at the spy’s suggestive words; she followed Natasha back to the others and was pleased to see them wishing Loki as well as Thor a good trip. “Well, thank you guys for seeing us off; can you please tell the others ‘goodbye’ for us when they get back from their missions?”

“Sure thing, (Y/N),” Steve nodded and ushered the others away from the circle of etchings the brothers were standing on. “Keep an eye on Thor and Loki, will you? They need all the looking-after they can get!”

Giggling as the two brothers scoffed and rolled their eyes from the end of the helipad, she took her place next to Loki and rested her arm around his waist. “You can count on me, Cap.” She looked up at her boyfriend and smiled. “Ready?”

“Ready.” Loki tore his excitement-filled eyes from hers and looked up at the blue sky above them as he tightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and as Thor thrust his hammer into the air above.

A moment later, they were encased in a rainbow of lights and (Y/N) caught one last glimpse of the four Avengers waving before the three of them were completely pulled into the swirling beam of colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk


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